JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- – Dust from the Saharan desert is impacting portions of the tropical Atlantic.
This dust is transported thousands of miles and has a key purpose in the early stages of hurricane season.
Dust from Africa?
The dust that will be seen in the coming weeks in the Caribbean and parts of Florida is truly from Africa.
In June and July, dust storms occur in the Sahara desert in North Africa.
This dust is then picked up by upper-level winds and transported across the tropical Atlantic.
The dust, also known as the Saharan Air Layer, continues to trek thousands of miles to the Caribbean and often times to parts of Florida.
The dust creates a hazy sky during the daytime hours, and can be known to reduce visibilities.
While it is dust, these particulates exist in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere, and cause minimal air quality concerns at the surface.
The Saharan dust also does a good job of scattering light, especially during sunrise and sunset.
This creates vibrant colors during sunrise and sunset times.
The first real plume of Saharan dust is sitting over the open Atlantic and will likely move into the parts of the Caribbean late week.
Dust vs. tropical activity
Saharan dust had a critical purpose in the early stages of hurricane season.
The dust helps dry out the atmosphere, and reduce tropical activity.
As the Saharan dust depletes the atmosphere of deep moisture, tropical waves have a difficult time surviving the trek from Africa to the Lesser Antilles.
Quite often, the dust can completely dissolve a tropical wave.
The dust also disrupts more robust tropical waves from organizing into tropical depressions.
Often the wave is impacted by the very dry air and prevents further consolidation.
The lack of dust
Meteorologists have noted the lack of Saharan dust so far in 2023.
Multiple rounds of Saharan dust normally impact the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean in early June, and the dust has not been significant.
It is likely this is a product of lighter than normal upper-level winds that transport the dust across the Atlantic.
While there is still time for large plumes of dust to impact the tropical Atlantic, it has been a very quiet start to “dust season”.
Saharan dust is our friend this time of year, and it presence will help reduce tropical activity in the early weeks of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.