It’s that time of year when thick clouds of Saharan dust can traverse across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean. And when conditions are right, weather patterns will send that dust towards the Gulf Coast.
With that being a possibility later this week, ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith takes a closer look at the Saharan Dust forecast and how it can impact the weather and air quality.
Saharan dust is a staple of hurricane season and something forecasters anticipate seeing each year, usually between April and August. These clouds of dust begin off the west coast of Africa and have to travel seven thousand miles across the ocean to reach Houston.
One larger dust cloud over the Caribbean Monday night is expected to travel north, swirl into the Gulf later this week, and linger across the Gulf Coast into the weekend. Current model projections place the highest concentration of dust farther east across Florida and the Bahamas, but southeast Texas isn’t out of the woods yet.
Here are two impacts to know about Saharan dust. When it comes to the tropics, these clouds of dust limit potential storm development during hurricane season. So, good news, it’s a quiet start to the season. The dust clouds are made up of microscopic particles of sand and minerals, which can impact air quality and irritate our respiratory system. The extent of any health impacts from Saharan dust depends on the concentration and how long it lingers overhead. If that’s a possibility, air quality alerts and ozone pollution watches could be issued as a preventative measure.
Dr. Jennifer Ukwu is a primary care physician with Memorial Hermann. In a conversation with ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith, Dr. Ukwu confirmed that Saharan dust doesn’t necessarily lead to new health problems, but it could further agitate the symptoms of those with existing health concerns such as asthma, allergies, or underlying lung conditions.
“Keep an eye on the air quality levels to exercise additional precautions to kind of minimize their triggers for you know, worsening coughing, sneezing, runny nose, things of that nature,” Ukwu said.
And while this may be the first Saharan dust event for the Gulf Coast, it may not be the last. That depends on the status of the West African Monsoon and the trade winds. Which both, at this point, could continue to send plumes of Saharan dust across the deep tropics and parts of the Caribbean this month.