One of the largest plumes of Sarahan Dust has traveled nearly 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, reaching the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida. The extra sand particles in the air won't cause much (if any) trouble, in fact, they'll add some color to our sunrises and sunsets for the next few days.
Every year, between about mid-June and mid-July, the trade winds start to pick up. Blowing from east to west across the subtropics in the Northern Hemisphere, these winds pick up loose and dry sand from the Sahara Desert and carry them across the Atlantic.
The images from some of the higher resolution satellites show a thick plume of dust pouring across the globe.
Now, while it looks intimidating, especially with hazier skies being seen across the Caribbean, locally Saharan Dust gives us a little break.
That is, it limits tropical development in significant portions of the Atlantic.
The addition of fine sand particles in the atmosphere dry out the air, choking any sort of tropical development. It's part of the reason tropical activity has remained fairly quiet for the past two weeks or so.
Now all this dust in the air won't last forever - so enjoy some of the feisty sunrises and sunsets - and stay prepared. After all, peak hurricane season is right around the corner.
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