US Could Be Hit By Massive Saharan Dust Plume This Week: What You Need To Know

A vast Saharan dust cloud, the largest of its kind this year, is sweeping across the Caribbean and moving toward the southeastern United States, according to CBS News. Stretching approximately 2,000 miles from Jamaica to beyond Barbados and 750 miles from the Turks and Caicos Islands to Trinidad and Tobago, the dust has significantly reduced visibility and degraded air quality across the region. 

Where and When It Will Hit

Dust was covering Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and other parts of the region on Tuesday, according to CBS Miami's NEXT Weather radar. The plume was forecast to move northwest and reach Florida mid-week, then hit other states including Georgia, the Carolinas, Texas and Louisiana by Friday.

A dust plume from Africa already made its way to Florida over the weekend, CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG reported. Radar showed dust lingering over the state on Monday.

By mid-week, a larger plume will be over Florida, affecting air quality in the state. It will then flow northward, radar shows, more widely affecting southeastern US states and the Gulf region.

According to hurricane experts cited by NBC News, a massive plume of Saharan dust is forecast to reach the southeastern United States later this week and into the weekend, specifically targeting states like Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. 

Understanding the Saharan Air Layer and Its Effects

This phenomenon occurs when the Saharan Air Layer, a dry and dusty mass of air, traverses the Atlantic Ocean from Africa, typically between April and October. Notably, this dust plume can suppress tropical wave formation during hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30. Peak dust concentrations usually occur in June and July, with the plumes floating between 5,000 and 20,000 feet above the ground.