TAMPA, Fla. – A layer of Saharan dust making its way into the Gulf of Mexico is keeping things calm in the tropics.
FOX 13 Meteorologist Valerie Mills says Saharan dust is currently moving off the coast of Africa. By the end of the week it will move west toward the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Saharan air layer, known as Saharan dust, consists of sand, dirt and other dust lifted into the atmosphere from the vast desert region that covers most of North Africa.
The dust is carried in the African waves that push westward into the Atlantic Ocean.
LAST: Saharan Dust can cause allergic symptoms and redness
The Saharan Air Layer is a well-mixed dry air pocket usually located between 50,000 and 50,000 feet above sea level.
Saharan dust often inhibits tropical development because one of the key ingredients for the development of tropical cyclones is a deep supply of moisture.
“This is really going to limit any waves that could develop because they’re really going to have to deal with this drier air,” said FOX 13 meteorologist Valerie Mills.
The Saharan dust should keep the tropics quiet for the next five to seven days, but FOX 13 meteorologist Dave Osterberg says the dust usually clears by mid- to late July.
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