Saharan Dust Plume Spreads Hazy Skies Across Texas

A plume of Saharan dust is sweeping across Texas, spreading a milky haze over South-Central Texas before expanding north into Central Texas and the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex by late today into Tuesday, Usa Today reported. The dust plume on Monday, June 29, is tied to a broader Saharan Air Layer outbreak over the western Gulf that is expected to persist into Tuesday, June 30.

Satellite imagery shows a more concentrated band of elevated dust already moving onshore, with the strongest concentrations expected to remain farther south.

In South-Central Texas, the dust is riding in the mid-levels of the atmosphere near 5,000 to 6,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service in Austin-San Antonio. Potential exists for some downward mixing of dust during peak daytime heating, though surface visibility impacts should remain limited.

The dust is part of the Saharan Air Layer, a very dry, dusty mass of air that forms over the Sahara Desert during late spring, summer and early fall, according to the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The dust clouds move over the Atlantic Ocean every few days and can reach as far west as Texas. Each summer, intense surface heating over North Africa combined with frequent thunderstorms across the Sahara lifts vast amounts of dust high into the atmosphere, Usa Today reported. During peak months in June and July, Saharan dust outbreaks are most frequent and most organized.

The plume typically creates a milky or filtered look to the sky during the day while enhancing reds and oranges at sunrise and sunset. North and Central Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, are more likely to see dust expressed as optics rather than haze, with sunsets and sunrises taking on deeper oranges and reds.