JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Recent sunsets have taken on an extra vibrant hues from a scarlet color palette due to African dust.
Viewers sent photos on Storm Pins showing vivid skies over Palatka, Palm Valley and even Atlanta saw red sunsets.
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A plume of Saharan dust traveled across the tropical North Atlantic Ocean last week and settled across the Gulf from Texas to Florida.
Light emanating from the low sun angle during sunrise and sunset interacts with atmospheric dust in a way that most of the colors are scattered out by the dust except for reds, casting the sky scarlet.
The dust known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), this dry, dusty air mass forms over the Sahara Desert during late spring, summer and early fall, and typically moves westward over the tropical Atlantic Ocean every three to five days.
The Saharan Air Layer extends between 5,000 and 20,000 feet in the atmosphere. When winds are especially strong, the dust can be transported several thousand miles, reaching as far as the Caribbean, Florida and the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The good part of the SAL is it often suppresses hurricane and tropical storm development.