A very concentrated area of Saharan Dust has traveled all the way from Africa and is now heading toward Florida. The northern Caribbean islands have already been dealing with Saharan dust with very hazy skies.
"This is the largest concentration of dust that I have seen making it that far west across the Atlantic this year," AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "Usually dust starts to dissipate as it reaches the western Atlantic."
Persistent northeasterly winds, squeezed between an area of high pressure over the northern Sahara and low pressure over the equator, are often strong enough to stir loose sand and dust in the Sahara. Although the coarser sand is not normally raised far above the land, the smaller dust particles can be lofted 2 or 3 miles high into the sky, AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews said.
The clouds of dust are associated with large zones of dry air, which is an inhibiting factor for tropical storms and hurricanes. The large zone of dust and dry air has been one of the factors in the recent quiet state of the tropics in the Atlantic.
By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist – AccuWeather.com
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