Mother Nature isn’t fooling around this year. So far, we’ve experienced a rare total solar eclipse, a sensational nighttime show courtesy of the Northern Lights, “ring of fire” thunderstorms, and record-breaking heat waves. And now, meteorologists say a surge of dust from Africa’s Sahara Desert could reach the U.S. starting this weekend.
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While a fast-traveling dust storm spanning continents may raise alarm bells, this isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Earth Observatory estimates that 800 million metric tons of desert dust from the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) traverse westward over the Atlantic Ocean every year. These outbreaks are considered Earth’s “largest source of airborne dust particles,” per the organization.
So, what makes this specific dust plume newsworthy? It’s reported to be the most Saharan dust to cross the Atlantic Basin in two years.
“The current outbreak of Saharan dust across the tropical Atlantic is the highest since at least early June 2022. Dust cover over the Atlantic in 2023 was the lowest since satellite records began in 2002. High dust can stifle hurricane formation and help cool down Atlantic waters,” WPLG-TV hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry reported on X.
In an interview with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Jason Dunion, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, explained that Saharan dust outbreaks form when “ripples in the lower-to-middle atmosphere, called tropical waves, track along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and loft vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere.”
These bursts can be two to two-and-a-half miles thick and start about a mile above the Earth’s surface. Their warm, dry, and strong winds can suppress the intensity and formation of tropical storms—making these dust surges a welcome distraction during hurricane season in the U.S.
SAL outbreaks can form every three to five days, with peak activity occurring between late June and mid-August, according to Dunion. “During this peak period, it is common for individual SAL outbreaks to reach farther to the west—as far west as Florida, Central America and even Texas,” he noted.
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Melbourne-based National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Zach Law predicts the current SAL outbreak could impact parts of Florida as early as Saturday morning.
"It could move into the South Florida coast by Saturday morning. By Sunday morning, it'll be around Cape Canaveral. The thickest layers will be across South Florida, since the dust will be dispersing as it moves north,” he told TCPalm. "The majority of it could be centered around South Florida, although some models show it could get into North Florida.”
Meanwhile, South Texas is preparing for extra hazy skies and “moderate” air quality with little to no tropical activity, per KSAT.
As for what you can expect, The Weather Channel says “hazier skies and less thundershower activity” is typical with SAL outbreaks. However, the upswing in dust particles could be irritating and “trigger symptoms similar to springtime allergies.”
"Generally, the dust will be most noticeable with some really pretty sunrises and sunsets," said Law.
