Saharan dust moves out late Thursday afternoon

Saharan dust reduces air quality Wednesday & Thursday

It’s that time of year again when we are tracking hazy skies and the culprit is none other than Saharan dust.

It’s that time of year again when we are tracking hazy skies and the culprit is none other than Saharan dust.

And one last chance of storms this afternoon

The Saharan dust is here! If you suffer from upper respiratory issues, there is one button in your car that could be helpful when you hit the road

It’s that time of year again when we are tracking hazy skies and the culprit is none other than Saharan dust.

It’s about this time every year where we look for Saharan dust to make its several thousand-mile trip across the Atlantic.

Today marks the official END of the 2022 hurricane season which began June 1st (interestingly we had no pre-season storms this year for the first time since 2014). The season proved pretty interesting with three systems before July 1st and then NOTHING until September! Thank you Saharan Dust and dry air!

An incoming wave of Saharan dust combined with three-digit temperatures and high humidity make for a potentially dangerous combination in Houston, including increasing your chances of catching COVID-19.

The Saharan dust cloud covering the air in parts of Texas has the potential to cause problems for people with asthma, allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Houston, TX The cover photo you see of Comet NEOWISE above was taken just last night (Thursday) from right here in Cypress. You may have heard, Tropical Storm Fay formed yesterday:Tropical Storm Fay courtesy NOAAThis storm is already bringing flooding rains to New Jersey and will continue to make a mess of New York City, Long Island and New England. Heat Advisories for our entire area are in effect today as temperatures soar to 100 and Feels Like temps land between 105-110. Heat Advisories through 7pm TodayWere not the only ones sweating it out under heat advisories this weekend. In fact, from Marfa to Miami its dangerously hot:Heat AdvisoriesSo stay cool, stay hydrated, stay inside, and make sure those pets stay safe!

The Saharan Dust ruled the sky over the weekend. Below is a look at the current Saharan Air Layer showing light dust in the Caribbean (that’s what is coming) with more dust (the pink) coming off the continent. Latest Saharan Dust satelliteWhy is it happening? So WHY is this such a banner year for Saharan dust? Those storms that cross Africa create winds that blow the Saharan dust into the Atlantic.

HOUSTON – It’s that time of year when dust from the Sahara Desert in North Africa makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean and is deposited in the Western Hemisphere. When dust is in the air, the skies look milky during the day and sunsets generally look redder than usual. Here is what the dust looked like across the Houston sky:"Ted Bergeron A dusty sunset over Hermann Park" Credit: tbergeron (KPRC 2)"The saharan sunrise from Cinco Ranch" Credit: M&M (KPRC 2)"Saharan sunset - willow fork park, Cinco Ranch." Credit: M&M (KPRC 2)"Pink sunsets on Lake Houston!" Credit: digitalknightproductions (KPRC 2)"The start of the Saharan dust sunsets" Credit: ksalling (KPRC 2)"Saharan dust sunset over Clear Lake!"

Take advantage of the morning and later evening as afternoon temperatures in the 90s will feel like the triple digits. Another batch of Saharan dust is lower air quality. Anyone that struggled with the dust this past weekend should prepare for a repeat for the rest of the week. DustAn area of mid-level high pressure will be moving from the Gulf to almost directly over the Houston region this week. Rain chances return as the high moves farther to the west and allowing showers chances to return in time for the July 4.

The Saharan dust I’ve been blogging about for days has arrived in buckets. Saharan Dust measurement indicating the heaviest cloud recordedSo here’s the bad part: the air quality is unhealthy. As for the upside of Saharan dust, take a look at last night’s sunset Click2Pin from David Reynolds of Digital Knight Productions:Fabulous Saharan Dust sunset last night! Through the weekend and then we will look for more dust heading our way as the month of July rolls in. More Dust comingEnjoy your weekend, wear a mask where you should, and to my viewer who asked if Saharan dust brings in mosquitoes with West Nile Virus the answer is “no” but that did make me laugh, so thank you!

HOUSTON – The KPRC 2 meteorologist team has been mentioning that Saharan dust is moving through our area this weekend. That means if you have allergies, they are probably acting up and those symptoms may be misinterpreted as a coronavirus infection since symptoms are similar. The main difference, according to Wenaas, is allergies caused by the dust storm should not cause a fever, muscle or body aches, loss of smell or digestive problems. Wenaas said wearing a mask is a great protection since it will help you inhale fewer dust particles and protect you/others from coronavirus. You should also avoid spending time outside as the dust storm moves through if you have underlying respiratory issues.

I’ve been talking about this Saharan Air Layer of dust that’s on the way for the weekend. In fact, so have those in space:We flew over this Saharan dust plume today in the west central Atlantic. Then, sending aircraft missions into hurricanes to study surrounding dust layers has proven very important to tropical forecasts. So knowing just how the SAL interacts with the atmosphere has become vital in forecasting hurricanes and other extreme weather events. This happened last February with West Texas Dust and I blogged about it.

(CNN) – The current Saharan dust episode is leading to the worst dust storm in the Caribbean in decades. On Tuesday, this sunset enhancing, blue sky limiting, tropical threat reducing dust plume continues its 5,000-mile journey toward the US. "We flew over this Saharan dust plume today in the west central Atlantic,' Astronaut Doug Hurly tweeted on Sunday. The Saharan dust will reach the US by Thursday morningOn Wednesday, the dust is forecast to move across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. If you find yourself reaching for a tissue this week -- or your iPhone to post yet another awesome sunset pic to Instagram -- thank the Saharan dust.

(CNN) – The much-anticipated Saharan dust plume is now making its more than 5,000-mile trek across the Atlantic to the United States. If you haven't heard your friends talking about this "mysterious" Saharan dust plume supposedly adding yet another layer to 2020, then you've certainly seen it all over social media this past week. This Saharan dust plume blowing across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa is nothing new, or even special to 2020. Saharan dust can also impact you in several ways once it reaches land. Here's the top 3 ways you'll notice next week's Saharan dust here in the US.

The dust storm you see in today’s cover photo is a previous one but look at the one via enhanced color imagery that is moving off of the African continent as we speak. I’ve circled it in blue on the right-hand side:I've circled in blue the dust that is moving off Africa right nowThat is a very large dust storm! Take a look at the forecast and just follow the bright colors. Here’s the dust by Thursday of this week:Dust on Thursday of this weekHappy Father’s Day -- here is Sunday’s forecast with the heaviest dust in the central Atlantic but starting to edge into the Gulf of Mexico:Father's Day Dust on SundayNext Wednesday, if not a bit sooner, June 24th the dust arrives. Dust is here next week, but Wednesday if not soonerSinus sufferers hate this dust and I don’t blame them.