If it seems like the entire city is covered in hazy skies over the next few days, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. A large plume of Saharan dust has completed its 5,000-mile journey across the Atlantic, and it’s headed right for South Florida this week.
This cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert, known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), happens every summer. It brings a mixed bag of stunning sunset views, intense heat and watery eyes specifically to Florida, Texas and the Gulf Coast this year, according to The Weather Channel.
What causes Saharan dust?
Composed of fine sand and dust particles, the Saharan dust plume forms in Africa as intense heat lifts fine particulate matter into the atmosphere. It is then carried by trade winds and travels between 5,000 and 20,000 feet above the Earth’s surface across the Atlantic.
When it arrives in places like Florida, the exceptionally dry air suppresses thunderstorms and temporarily halts hurricane formation. At the same time, it drives up summer temperatures and creates hazy skies.
It can also produce breathtakingly vibrant sunsets while leaving behind “dirty rain” and degrading air quality to trigger irritation and allergy-like symptoms for those with asthma, COPD, severe seasonal allergies or more.
When will Saharan dust affect Florida this week?
The WSVN 7 News forecast indicates that this new plume of Saharan dust will begin moving into South Florida starting Tuesday and settling in through Friday. Temperatures will also get hotter into the mid 90s as a heat dome also builds in across the state.
“[The dust] will lead to hazy skies and reduce rain chances to a 20-30% chance for the rest of the week,” the forecast reads.
The worst of it is expected to clear out by Saturday, bringing our blue skies and afternoon thunderstorms right back in time for the weekend.
