Another monstrous Saharan dust cloud is coming. A NOAA model shows where it’s heading

Another massive Saharan dust cloud is headed to the United States, but NOAA says it is better prepared this time to offer advance warning for states in its path.

A 7-day model has been created predicting where and when hazy skies, brilliant sunsets and dangerously poor air quality will spread, NOAA reported Thursday.

That model shows the cloud is destined for Gulf of Mexico, with finest particles reaching southern Florida around 5 a.m. Sunday, NOAA says. Heavier dust will follow in the days ahead.

The model runs through Tuesday, and shows the dust cloud headed toward the southern coasts of Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana.

NASA says it has already issued an air quality warning for Puerto Rico.

“The dust, especially in large quantities, causes poor visibility and air quality,” NASA says. “It affects human health by causing irritation of eyes, nose and throat and it often contains fine particulates of silica and other minerals that are of a size that can easily infiltrate and irritate lung tissue.”

Scientists have long known Saharan dust is a seasonal issue that impacts the world’s weather, but NASA satellites have lately provided better understanding of the path and impact. This includes not only the hazy skies, but toxic algal blooms fed by the dust, according to a June NOAA report.

It is the COVID-19 pandemic that thrust the dust clouds into headlines, as news outlets reported the fouled air could send vulnerable people with respiratory issues to hospitals already overwhelmed by coronavirus cases. COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets from infected people, including coughs and sneezes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

NOAA researchers say Saharan dust clouds form over the Saharan Desert “every three to five days from late spring through early fall,” and move thousands of miles west toward the Caribbean and U.S. Gulf Coast.

This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Another monstrous Saharan dust cloud is coming. A NOAA model shows where it’s heading."