A Gigantic Cloud of Saharan Dust Is Barreling Toward Florida

A huge cloud of dust from the Sahara floats west on the Atlantic Ocean, heading directly to Florida.

The densest part of African dust plume has already reached the Caribbean and could blow in the state of the sun in the middle of the week, according to The National Office of Meteorological Services in Miami. When dust arrives, it will probably lead to drier local times, a decrease in air quality and sunrise and sunny sunshine and meteorologists say.

Around 1 p.m. on Monday, the NWS office in San Juan, Puerto Rico said These maximum concentrations of Sahara dust rolled in the area and had to arrive in the afternoon. The agency has issuing Multiple air quality alerts, because inhalation of dust can irritate respiratory systems and worsen allergies, asthma and other respiratory conditions.

These particles can also trap heat near the ground, and as such, NWS San Juan has issued a heat notice This will remain in force until Tuesday. Southeast winds combined with the effects of the dust cloud should maintain temperatures above normal in many coastal and urban areas, the agency said.

At the end of last week, a thin veil of dust was already dispersed on Florida, NWS Miami Meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez said American scientific. In the middle of the week, a thicker and denser plume will swell in the state, although meteorologists to wait for It will be more patch than the current conditions of the Caribbean. Some plots of dust could reach the rest of the Gulf coast by the end of the week, according to The Weather Channel.

Officially known as the Saharan air layer, or Sal, this extremely dry and dusty air mass is formed in northern North Africa each year from the end of spring to early fall, according to Atlantic oceanographic and meteorological laboratory of the Noaa. It is created by undulations in the atmosphere lower than average – called tropical waves – which follow along the southern edge of the Sahara desert and massive quantities of dust in the atmosphere, Jason Dunion, a meteorologist from the Noaa, explain In an interview in 2020.

Every three to five days, the SAL moves on the Tropical Ocean of the North Atlantic in what is known as an “epidemic”. This activity generally culminates from the end of June to mid-August, and during the peak period, epidemics extend further to the west. Once or twice a summer, a SAL traveled more than 5,000 miles to the Gulf coast, blowing through the Florida states in Texas. This is precisely what is happening now, according to the Noaa, which follows the salt using His satellite VA-16.

The arrival of this SAL coincides with the start of the Atlantic Hurricane season, which officially started on Sunday, June 1. The heat, drought and strong winds associated with this dusty air mass have been demonstrated to remove the formation and intensification of the tropical cyclone, according to Dunion. Thus, the SAL generally prevents hurricanes from taking shape.

But despite this, meteorologists already follow an area along the southeast coast for potential subtropical or tropical development. AccuWeather predict Over the next 10 days, the dry air of the SAL will alternate with the damp air above the Caribbean and off the coast of Florida.

This can lead to a development of humidity from southern Florida to Bahamas and Cuba at the start of this week, potentially bringing several inches of rain and thunderstorms to the region. Although the risk of tropical development is low, heavy rains could lead to minor coastal floods, rip currents and rough surfing by the week at the end in the final, Accuweather reports.

On the right side, Florida residents – and potentially those of the other states of the Gulf coast – can expect to see sunrise and sunset that is particularly breathtaking this week, thanks to SAL. Indeed, high concentrations of dust in suspension in the air improve the bright and orange red shades which result from sunlight at low angle passing through the atmosphere, according to the Noaa.

The SAL could linger on the Southeast for several days, although it is not clear when the dust begins to dissipate. Meteorologists will watch closely to see how its presence has an impact on air quality, visibility and the first days of the hurricanes season.