Saharan Dust Impacts Florida Skies and Storms This Week

The beginning of June marks the start of hurricane season, but also the start of some other atmospheric events which can greatly affect the formation of tropical storms in Florida as well. The arrival of Saharan dust this week will likely alter the weather systems around Florida for the next week or so.

According to NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, dust from the Sahara typically begins to impact Florida usually around mid-June. The Saharan Air Layer (SAL), as they call it is a mass of very dry, dusty air that is picked up by the atmosphere and is carried across the Atlantic. The Miami Herald mentions that this dust layer is up to 2.5 miles thick, usually around a mile up in the atmosphere. This dust is usually much dryer than the tropical air in place usually at this time of the year, so it is able to somewhat inhibit the formation of tropical storm systems.

I noticed today that the National Hurricane Center has an area outlined to watch for formation of a non-tropical low pressure system which could become tropical or sub-tropical in nature later in the week if it remains over the ocean. With the Saharan dust arriving later in the week, it is less likely that the storm would develop into a tropical system.

Where will the Saharan Dust be?

I found a very helpful animated map of the Saharan Dust forecast from KSAT 12 on YouTube that shows the expected extent of the dust layer as it arrives this week.

What other ways will the SAL affect Florida this week?

Fox Weather mentions several ways this Saharan Dust will impact the weather and skies:

• Any rain falling after the dust arrives will be a "dirty rain"
• Colorful sunsets and sunrises can be expected
• Air quality is not expected to be affected this week, but for those with respiratory conditions it's best to check air quality for your location

So while this arrival of Saharan dust is an annual event, it always interacts with weather systems in different ways. This time around should be helpful in limiting some tropical storm development and making the sky look more hazy than usual. What other changes it brings will become more evident soon enough.