Post by Atticus Pizzaballa on Jul 8, 2023 12:02:44 GMT -5
Massive dust cloud reaches South Florida
Outbursts of Canadian wildfire smoke have filled the sky over the eastern United States in recent weeks, but a new airborne danger from a different source has reached another part of the country.
This past week, AccuWeather meteorologists were tracking several large clouds of dust from Africa's Sahara Desert. Forecasters warned that the immense clouds would traverse the entire ocean and reduce air quality across the Caribbean and the southeastern United States by the weekend.
"Saharan dust is common most years across parts of the Atlantic basin and sometimes spreads as far west as the Caribbean and Florida," said AccuWeather Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin. "The location and magnitude of the dust changes frequently throughout the season."
A satellite loop of the tropical Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, July 8, 2023. One cloud of Saharan dust had reached South Florida, while another expansive dust cloud was traveling across the southeastern part of the basin. (NOAA/GOES-EAST)
Two plumes of dust could be seen on satellite during the first part of the weekend. NOAA's GOES-EAST weather satellite spotted the first cloud of dust over the eastern Caribbean Sea and southern Gulf of Mexico, with an even bigger plume of dust to the west off the coast of Africa.
Forecasters warn that while the dust is not a particularly rare occurrence, it could still bring impacts to people across the southeastern United States and Caribbean islands.
As AccuWeather correctly predicted, the cloud of dust that traveled over the Caribbean Sea this past week reached South Florida by Saturday. The National Weather Service office in Key West, Florida, posted a picture on Twitter of a hazy sky Saturday morning thanks to the plume of dust.
AccuWeather meteorologists say coastal areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama could be impacted by the dust at the end of the weekend.
This initial wave of dust may not be as extreme as the Saharan dust that spread across the Southeast in June of 2020, which was so massive it was dubbed the Godzilla dust cloud, but the upcoming event could still impact air quality and make the sky appear opaque.
A dust-filled sky over Florida may also help to block out some sunlight to knock down temperatures by a few degrees compared to the heat during the first week of July. During the extended Independence Day weekend, temperatures across the state reached the mid- to upper 90s with AccuWeather RealFeel Sun™ Temperatures nearing 120 degrees in some towns. Miami eclipsed its daily record of 95 F on Friday as the thermometer soared to 97 F.
The latest round of Saharan dust may be a preview of what's to come next week.
A larger, more robust cloud of Saharan dust has blown off the coast of Africa in recent days and will quickly cross the Atlantic Ocean. The dust is being carried by the trade winds that blow from east to west over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
The thicker dust cloud is predicted to reach the eastern Caribbean by the end of the weekend and may approach Florida by Tuesday. If this forecast comes to fruition, it may cause air quality to worsen across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Florida.
During similar events in recent history, dust has collected on car windows and reduced visibility to a few miles.
People across the Gulf Coast who plan on spending extended time outdoors over the next week are encouraged to check the air quality forecast for their area due to the possible impacts of the dust.
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www.aol.com/news/massive-dust-cloud-heading-toward-190537360.html
This looks interesting.
Outbursts of Canadian wildfire smoke have filled the sky over the eastern United States in recent weeks, but a new airborne danger from a different source has reached another part of the country.
This past week, AccuWeather meteorologists were tracking several large clouds of dust from Africa's Sahara Desert. Forecasters warned that the immense clouds would traverse the entire ocean and reduce air quality across the Caribbean and the southeastern United States by the weekend.
"Saharan dust is common most years across parts of the Atlantic basin and sometimes spreads as far west as the Caribbean and Florida," said AccuWeather Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin. "The location and magnitude of the dust changes frequently throughout the season."
A satellite loop of the tropical Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, July 8, 2023. One cloud of Saharan dust had reached South Florida, while another expansive dust cloud was traveling across the southeastern part of the basin. (NOAA/GOES-EAST)
Two plumes of dust could be seen on satellite during the first part of the weekend. NOAA's GOES-EAST weather satellite spotted the first cloud of dust over the eastern Caribbean Sea and southern Gulf of Mexico, with an even bigger plume of dust to the west off the coast of Africa.
Forecasters warn that while the dust is not a particularly rare occurrence, it could still bring impacts to people across the southeastern United States and Caribbean islands.
As AccuWeather correctly predicted, the cloud of dust that traveled over the Caribbean Sea this past week reached South Florida by Saturday. The National Weather Service office in Key West, Florida, posted a picture on Twitter of a hazy sky Saturday morning thanks to the plume of dust.
AccuWeather meteorologists say coastal areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama could be impacted by the dust at the end of the weekend.
This initial wave of dust may not be as extreme as the Saharan dust that spread across the Southeast in June of 2020, which was so massive it was dubbed the Godzilla dust cloud, but the upcoming event could still impact air quality and make the sky appear opaque.
A dust-filled sky over Florida may also help to block out some sunlight to knock down temperatures by a few degrees compared to the heat during the first week of July. During the extended Independence Day weekend, temperatures across the state reached the mid- to upper 90s with AccuWeather RealFeel Sun™ Temperatures nearing 120 degrees in some towns. Miami eclipsed its daily record of 95 F on Friday as the thermometer soared to 97 F.
The latest round of Saharan dust may be a preview of what's to come next week.
A larger, more robust cloud of Saharan dust has blown off the coast of Africa in recent days and will quickly cross the Atlantic Ocean. The dust is being carried by the trade winds that blow from east to west over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
The thicker dust cloud is predicted to reach the eastern Caribbean by the end of the weekend and may approach Florida by Tuesday. If this forecast comes to fruition, it may cause air quality to worsen across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Florida.
During similar events in recent history, dust has collected on car windows and reduced visibility to a few miles.
People across the Gulf Coast who plan on spending extended time outdoors over the next week are encouraged to check the air quality forecast for their area due to the possible impacts of the dust.
GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
www.aol.com/news/massive-dust-cloud-heading-toward-190537360.html
This looks interesting.