Outbursts of Canadian wildfire smoke have filled the sky over the eastern United States in recent weeks, but a new airborne danger from a different source is approaching from the tropics.
AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking several large clouds of dust from Africa's Sahara Desert that are currently drifting over the Atlantic Ocean. The immense clouds have the potential to traverse the entire ocean and reduce air quality across the Caribbean and the southeastern United States in the coming days.
The Saharan dust is so dense and widespread that it could be seen from space on Thursday. NOAA's GOES-EAST weather satellite spotted the first cloud of dust over the eastern Caribbean Sea and the Lesser Antilles, with an even bigger plume of dust emerging off the coast of Africa.
A satellite image of the tropical Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, July 6, 2023. A cloud of Saharan dust could be seen over the eastern Caribbean Sea, while another dust cloud was emerging off the coast of Africa. (NOAA/GOES-EAST) |
"Saharan dust is common most years across parts of the Atlantic basin and sometimes spreads as far west as the Caribbean and Florida," said AccuWeather Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin. "The location and magnitude of the dust changes frequently throughout the season."
Forecasters warn that while the dust is not a particularly rare occurrence, it could still impact people across the Southeast in the coming days.
The cloud of dust currently over the Caribbean Sea is predicted to reach Florida by Saturday and could extend toward coastal areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama by Sunday. This initial wave of dust may not be as extreme as the Saharan dust that spread across the Southeast in June of 2020, which was so massive it was dubbed the Godzilla dust cloud, but the upcoming event could still impact air quality and make the sky appear opaque.
A dust-filled sky over Florida may also help to block out some sunlight to knock down temperatures by a few degrees compared to the heat during the first week of July. During the extended Independence Day weekend, temperatures across the state reached the mid- to upper 90s with AccuWeather RealFeel Sun™ Temperatures nearing 120 degrees in some towns.
And the impending Saharan dust may be a preview of what's to come next week.
A larger, more robust cloud of Saharan dust is being blown off the coast of Africa and will quickly cross the Atlantic Ocean. The dust is being carried by the trade winds that blow from east to west over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
The thicker dust cloud is predicted to reach the eastern Caribbean by the end of the weekend and may approach Florida by Tuesday. If this forecast comes to fruition, it may cause air quality to worsen across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Florida.
During similar events in recent history, dust has collected on car windows and reduced visibility to a few miles.
People across the Gulf Coast who plan on spending extended time outdoors over the next week are encouraged to check the air quality forecast for their area due to the possible impacts of the dust.
While Saharan dust can affect everyone, there are groups that are more vulnerable to particulate pollution health effects than others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children and babies, older adults and people with underlying lung conditions or chronic cardiopulmonary diseases are among those outlined by the CDC.
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