Summers are often hazy in eastern Oklahoma, but it is more than just humidity that is limiting our visibility here at the end of June. Dust from the Saharan Desert has filled the sky and created a milky hue above during the day. How does this dust travel thousands of miles to the middle of the United States?
Thunderstorm outflow and prevailing easterly trade winds often pick up large plumes of dust from the expansive desert and carry the particulates across the ocean at an altitude between one and three miles above the surface this time of year.
Plumes from the Sahara often reach our region a few times a year between late spring and early fall at various levels of concentration when the wind pattern is just right.
In some cases, the amount of dust present can lower air quality closer to the surface. This can be an irritant to the eyes or cause breathing stress on those who suffer from respiratory illnesses.
The reduction of visibility can be a hazard in the densest of plumes. However, the dust is not all bad news. It can also help create more colorful sunrises and sunsets. The plumes also deposit nutrients across island nations in the Atlantic Ocean and even here in the United States.
The dust also helps keep air over the open ocean dry, which therefore reduces Tropical activity. In other words, it represses Tropical waves from reaching their full potential and stymies organization into stronger storms.
For a look at other upcoming weather impacts locally, click here.
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