Hazy days ahead; catch an exceptional Saharan dust sunset
A large Saharan dust plume is making its way toward Texas, likely bringing a few hazy days to the Highland Lakes. While skies might be a little blurry, the dust could produce beautiful sunsets during its stay.
According to the National Weather Service, the dust is sweeping across the Atlantic Ocean from North Africa and will arrive in Central Texas around midday Sunday, June 29. The haze is currently expected to last through Wednesday.
The dust will mean reduced visibility, drier-than-average air, and potentially gusty conditions. The plume could also irritate respiratory systems or aggravate existing issues like asthma or other chronic lung diseases.
The dust could also create conditions for super sunsets and sunrises, with particles in the air causing deeper, bolder, warmer colors. The dust thickens the atmosphere, meaning the sun’s rays have to pass through more matter on the way to our eyes. More beams of shorter-wavelength colors, like blue and purple, are scattered by the dust particles before they reach us, which deepens longer wavelengths like red, orange, and yellow.
The African dust is part of the global climate phenomenon the Saharan Air Layer, which is studied closely by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration due to its potential impact on weather across the Atlantic Ocean. It typically means dry air with 50 percent less moisture than normal, higher winds, and warmer temperatures, and sometimes instigates tropical storms and hurricanes.
The air layer and the dust usually rise in mid-June and subside after August.