The Sahara dust clouds are headed for Florida and beyond
Dust clouds blown from the Saharan desert in the south-east of the United States could affect local time and make sun lifes and sunsets particularly lively
Each year, seasonal winds transport tens of millions of tonnes of Saharan dust across the Atlantic and beyond. On February 18, 2021, the NOAA-20 VIIR captured a dramatic demonstration of airborne dust.
Image of the NASA land observatory by Lauren Dauphin, using the VIIRS data from NASA Eosdis Lance, Gibs / WorldView and the National Polar-Orbiting Partnership
Dust clouds derived from the Sahara desert over the Atlantic Ocean could make sun lifes and sunsets with unusual air, as well as potentially drier times, above Florida and the southeast of the United States in the coming days.
What's going on
Between the end of spring and the beginning of autumn, the dust of the Saharan is blown on the Atlantic Ocean every three to five days. When the conditions are good, the air masses filled with this dust can cross the thousands of kilometers necessary to reach North America. Meteorologists call this type of air mass the Saharan air layer, or SAL.
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Friday, a thin SAL is dispersed on Florida, explains Ana Torres-Vazquez, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office, who adds that this could interfere with certain storms transported in the peninsula by a cold front on Saturday. Another layer of dust – this thicker and denser – can then blow next week, although this forecast is currently less certain, notes Torres -Vazquez.
It should be noted that the Atlantic Hurricane season officially begins on June 1. In general, SAL tends to dry the atmosphere it derives – so some scientists think that these dust clouds can actually hinder the development of hurricanes. For the moment, however, the forecasters do not expect tropical storms to develop in the Atlantic in the coming week.
Sunrise, sunset
The effect which will be most visible to local residents because dust persists can be sunrise and unusual sunshine.
“When you have Saharan dust or any other type of particles, if the sun arrives at an angle, as during sunrise or sunset,” says Torres-Vazquez, “it can hit these particles which are close to the right soil and cause different red-red-red colors.”
Other parts of the country could also see improved sun and sunsets in the coming days from another type of particles: the smoke of shooting sheet. Canada is experiencing another sudden year for forest fires, with nearly 700,000 hectares, or more than 2,500 square miles, burned to date.
Currently, fires are particularly bad in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba provinces, partly due to high temperatures blocked in center of Canada. The smoke of these flames should reach the American states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan, in the coming days.
Depending on the proximity that dust and smoke are getting closer to the surface of the earth, these types of particles can be harmful to people's health, especially for very young or very old people and those who suffer from asthma or heart or pulmonary disease. The air quality index can help you assess if you should take precautions.
