Latest news with #SaharanAirLayer
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Saharan Dust makes its way towards the United States; Will the Triad be impacted?
(WGHP) – A plume of dust from the Sahara desert has been traveling across the Atlantic Ocean making its way to the United States over the last few days. NOAA's GOES-19 satellite has been tracking Saharan dust thousands of miles across the Atlantic from May 28 through June 2. It's common to see plumes of dust from the Saharan desert cross the Atlantic. Typically, the dust gets 'kicked up' into the atmosphere over the Sahara in the late spring, summer and early fall as monsoon season gets started just south of the Saharan desert. The peak of the Saharan dust season is in late June to mid-August, just before the peak of hurricane season, which occurs from mid-August through mid-October. One reason the Triad didn't see high impacts from the most recent plume of dust is due to the weather pattern over our area of the country. The coastal low-pressure system that is bringing rain to the Piedmont Triad on Thursday is helping to keep the dust south of us, creating a bigger impact for those to our south, like Florida and even as far west as Texas. Helene's impact on transportation in western North Carolina details in new report Saharan dust is nothing new. It happens every year around this time. When storms form just south of the Sahara Desert in the Sahel region of Africa, dry, dusty air from the Sahara Desert is kicked up into the atmosphere. This dust can collect in the atmosphere about 5,000 to 20,000 feet above the desert in a 2.5-mile-thick layer known as the Saharan Air Layer. Well, in that layer above the surface are the trade winds, also known as the Harmattan wind. The Harmattan wind sends the dust into the African Easterly Jet that blows from the West Coast of Africa to the United States and carries the dust thousands of miles across the ocean. As that dust moves over the Atlantic, it suppresses tropical cyclone development. The suppression of tropical development is due to the dry, strong winds associated with the Saharan dust, and it 'chokes out' any moisture of tropical cyclones that try to develop. Tropical cyclones need warm, moist air, and the dryness of the dust can cut off the supply of warm, moist air and limit tropical cyclone development in the Atlantic as the dust moves across the ocean. While suppressing tropical cyclone development is one of the main ways that Saharan dust impacts weather conditions, it can also have effects across the United States once it arrives. A few of the impacts include lowered air quality, lowered visibility or haziness and more vibrant sunrises or sunsets. Saharan dust particles are very tiny, and, when sun filters through the particles, it scatters the sunlight even more and allows longer wavelength colors like oranges and reds to reach through and be more intense. The result is more vibrant sunrises and sunsets. However, during the day, the dust makes the sky appear hazy and lowers our typical clear visibility of light blue dust particles in the atmosphere also impact our air quality, so those with any respiratory issues will typically be impacted more when the dust has made its way across the Atlantic. The Saharan dust season has just begun and we'll likely see several more rounds of it as we head through the next few months. The FOX8 Max Weather Team will continue to track the Saharan dust as it moves over the Atlantic and will keep you updated with when it'll arrive and what impacts we could see here at home. For more information on the West African Monsoon Season and Saharan dust, catch 'Beyond the Forecast' only available on our . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Metro
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Metro
Saharan dust cloud hits the US and threatens to drop 'dirty rain'
A massive cloud of Saharan dust has begun sweeping over South Florida and threatens to bring 'dirty rain'. The Saharan Air Layer drifted more than 5,000 miles from North Africa and across the Caribbean, and reached the Sunshine State on Wednesday evening. The cloud is about 2,000 miles wide and 750 miles long, according to Accuweather. It is forecast to move across the state on Thursday and bring haziness, low visibility, dry weather and heavy rain that could take the form of drops of mud. The plume will spread to more parts of the southeast US on Thursday, and may possibly travel from Florida to parts of Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and the Gulf and southeast Atlantic Ocean by Friday. The cloud forms from a mixture of sand and minerals in the Sahara that is blown into the atmosphere. Strong winds typically push the Saharan Air Layer west over the Atlantic Ocean, and it typically hits the Caribbean and Gulf Coast a few times per year. Less commonly, the cloud creeps north toward Europe. Dust clouds happen most often from mid-May to August, with the highest frequency in mid-June and July, but they can occur any time of the year. When dust particles in the air interact with raindrops, 'dirty rain' forms. More Trending It is also referred to as muddy rain or red rain if the dust has a red hue. Dirty rain is expected to fall across Florida as the dust cloud passes. The phenomenon typically only happens several times a year. The Saharan dust can be bad for your health as they can make air quality poor. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man calmly calls to report he shot dead his wife, stepson and mother-in-law MORE: Urgent recall for 15,000 pounds of beef and meat jerky over allergy fears MORE: Trump warns that Putin wants revenge for Ukraine's drone attacks
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Massive Saharan dust cloud approaching Florida, Texas
Massive clouds of Sahara Desert dust are moving over the Atlantic toward Central and North America, with the possibility of reaching Florida and other states, including Texas, this week. The dust has covered parts of the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti, and is projected to reach states along the Gulf Coast, like Mississippi and Alabama. 'The dust is due to a two to 2.5-mile-thick layer of the atmosphere, called the Saharan Air Layer, crossing over the Atlantic Ocean,' the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Wednesday. 'The warmth, dryness and strong winds associated with this layer have been shown to suppress tropical cyclone formation and intensification.' When the dust gets to the U.S., it can cause 'hazy skies as well as vivid sunrises and sunsets as the sun's rays scatter the dust in the atmosphere,' according to NOAA. The agency added that the dust can also 'suppress thunderstorm development over locations where the dust is especially thick.' The dust moves across the Atlantic from Africa every year, often called the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), which forms during late spring, summer and early fall, according to NOAA. 'SAL outbreaks can 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,' said Jason Dunion, a University of Miami hurricane researcher who works with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. 'As the SAL crosses the Atlantic, it usually occupies a 2 to 2.5-mile-thick layer of the atmosphere with its base starting about 1 mile above the surface,' Dunion said Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
04-06-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Saharan Dust Is Expected to Ramp Up Over Florida on Thursday
A cloud of Saharan dust over the Caribbean on Wednesday is expected to drift into South Florida as early as Wednesday night, spreading across the state on Thursday and bringing drier weather after several days of rain. The dry air and dust, known as the Saharan Air Layer, have traveled more than 5,000 miles from North Africa as a discernible mass that even someone without a degree in meteorology could identify on satellite. The plume is expected to fall apart in coming days, with some dust moving into the southeast Atlantic Ocean, potentially grazing Georgia and South Carolina, and some scattering across the Gulf, likely filtering into as far as Texas by Friday and into the weekend. 'It's just south of the tip of Florida right now, over the Bahamas,' George Rizzuto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Miami, said Wednesday morning. 'We'll see that ramp up over South Florida in the next 18 to 24 hours.' When the plume arrives in Florida, Mr. Rizzuto said, it will dry out the atmosphere and prevent storms from developing. This drier weather will come after three days of heavy rain in Florida. The dust is lifted off the Sahara by winds. The Saharan Air Layer forms when winds lift sand and minerals from the Sahara in North Africa into the atmosphere. It then gets whisked away by a strong wind current, which sometimes pushes it north into Europe, but more commonly carries it west across the Atlantic Ocean. It usually reaches the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast region several times a year. The dust events occur year-round but are most common from about mid-May into August, usually peaking mid-June to July. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Hill
04-06-2025
- Climate
- The Hill
Massive Saharan dust cloud approaching Florida, Texas
Massive clouds of the Sahara Desert dust are moving over the Atlantic toward Central and North America, with the possibility of reaching Florida and other states, including Texas, this week. The dust has covered parts of the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti, and is projected to reach Mississippi and Alabama. 'The dust is due to a two to 2.5-mile-thick layer of the atmosphere, called the Saharan Air Layer, crossing over the Atlantic Ocean,' the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Wednesday. 'The warmth, dryness and strong winds associated with this layer have been shown to suppress tropical cyclone formation and intensification.' When the dust gets to the U.S., it can cause 'hazy skies as well as vivid sunrises and sunsets as the sun's rays scatter the dust in the atmosphere,' according to the NOAA. The agency added that the dust can also 'suppress thunderstorm development over locations where the dust is especially thick.' The dust moves across the Atlantic from Africa every year, often called the Saharan Air Layer, which forms during late spring, summer and early fall, according to the NOAA. 'SAL outbreaks can 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,' said Dr. Jason Dunion, a University of Miami hurricane researcher who works with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. 'As the SAL crosses the Atlantic, it usually occupies a 2 to 2.5-mile-thick layer of the atmosphere with its base starting about 1 mile above the surface,' Dunion said on Sunday.
