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[Mz iMac]

A 'Godzilla' dust cloud from Sahara Desert is nearing US Gulf Coast

It's almost here.

The long-awaited cloud of Saharan dust is poised to "hit" the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday and Friday, forecasters say, promising hazy skies and fiery red sunsets but also potential health problems.

Nicknamed "Godzilla" for its unusually large size, the plume of dust began to emerge off western Africa last weekend and now has traveled over 4,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, the Weather Channel said.

The mass of extremely dry and dusty air known as the Saharan Air Layer forms over the Sahara Desert and moves across the North Atlantic every three to five days from late spring to early fall, peaking in late June to mid-August, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

A massive dust cloud from the Sahara Desert is poised to spread over the U.S. Gulf Coast the next few days.

It can occupy a roughly 2-mile thick layer in the atmosphere, the agency said.

"The main impacts of the Saharan dust are a whitening of the sky during daylight hours, redder sunsets, and decreased air quality," the National Weather Service said.

Several Caribbean islands were coated with dust earlier this week.

“This is the most significant event in the past 50 years,” said Pablo Méndez Lázaro, an environmental health specialist with the University of Puerto Rico. Due to the extremely poor air quality, “conditions are dangerous in many Caribbean islands," he said Monday.

A satellite photo shows a cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert arriving in the Caribbean on Monday. The massive cloud of dust is blanketing the Caribbean as it heads to the U.S. with a size and concentration level that meteorologists say hasn't been seen in about half a century.

AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said that "this is probably the worst air quality caused by Saharan dust in recent memory." 

Poor air quality can aggravate those suffering from respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD, the Weather Channel said.

"Air quality could also drop to moderate to unhealthy this weekend over South and East Texas due to the dust," Kottlowski said. "So, people with respiratory issues should not spend any long periods of time outdoors. Some people with severe respiratory conditions may just want to stay indoors."

Although some people may be more sensitive to the dust than others, University of Texas meteorology lecturer Troy Kimmel said there may be a silver lining because of the timing of the cloud’s arrival during the coronavirus pandemic: “The good news with that is we’re all wearing masks.”

Another benefit of dust from the Sahara Desert: more vivid sunsets and sunrises. As the sun passes the curve of the Earth, its rays shine through a thicker layer of atmosphere.

Dust and water particles in the atmosphere are responsible for scattering sunlight, creating the rich colors of sunsets and sunrises. With the added dust in the atmosphere, a greater number of particles can refract sunlight into a range of purples, pinks, oranges and yellows.

SOURCE:  YAHOO NEWS

[Laura14]

They've been warning us here in Atlanta that we are about to see some cloudiness yet beautiful sunsets and sunrises.  We'll see.

[geezerette]

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@Laura14 wrote:

They've been warning us here in Atlanta that we are about to see some cloudiness yet beautiful sunsets and sunrises.  We'll see.

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Here also.  And warning people that may having breathing problems to stay indoors.

[BlueFinch]

Yeah, I'm in south central TX and it's always a BLAST.  Glad I'm mostly staying in now. 

[Spurt]

Oh Godzilla..........

[shoptilyadropagain]

It's predicted to hit Indiana over the weekend (Sunday).

[MandyG06]

we've had enough of this stuff for 2020!!

Please reschedule Godzilla Sandblast to 2021! 

[SunSprite]

Kind of like Mother Nature's way of saying "Pssstt....put that mask on buddy"

I know it helps to prevent/slow tropical systems from developing, and at this time of the year, I'll take it. 

[Kachina624]

The article doesn't mention the possibility of mud rain in places where it rains as the cloud passes over.  We used to get terrific dust storms when I lived in West Texas.  You couldn't see a block down the street.  Then it would rain and you literally had sheets of mud hitting the windshield of your car.  What a mess that made of vehicles!

We get terrific dust here in Albuquerque sometimes in the spring, so badly I can't see the 10,000ft mountain just on the other side of town.  You can taste and feel the grit in your mouth.  We stay inside with windows closed and nobody has ill-effects.  There is no reason for alarm.

[shoesnbags]

Yeah, 2020 just keeps giving and giving. It will be moving into the New Orleans area today, so we won't see the full effects till tomorrow.  Hopefully we'll be spared the muddy rain because not much rain is predicted over the next few days. I have allergies, so not planning to spend any time outside for a while. (I'm tempted to ask "What next," but I don't dare.)