Sahara "dust cloud" headed our way

[Guest JMT]

S. Florida to get dusty as Sahara sand cloud moves in

Today or Tuesday, a Sahara dust outbreak, or a cloud of what originally was African sand carried across the Atlantic on the back of a tropical wave, is expected to settle over the region for about 12 hours, forecasters said.

It might turn the skies milkier and leave a light coating of reddish-brown dust on your car, the result of a small amount of iron content. It also could make the sunrise and sunset spectacular, said Jim Lushine of the National Weather Service in Miami.

"It's just kind of an interesting phenomenon," he said. "You might see it better in the morning, when the angle of the sun is low."

Usually, such dust clouds are too diluted to cause health problems or reduce visibility for aircraft pilots.

On the other hand, if concentrated enough, the outbreak could raise the air quality index into the unhealthy range for people with respiratory problems, said Ken Larson, a natural resource specialist with the Broward County Environmental Protection Department.

"If there are adverse concentrations, we would put out a health advisory," he said. "If somebody is subject to a respiratory condition, if they see hazy skies, they might want to take a little more precaution, not participate in strenuous activity and stay indoors."

Dust outbreaks, which are most common in early July, start when tropical waves lift sand from the Sahara to about 10,000 feet, where it is reduced to even smaller particles. The dust then drifts west on a dry tropical wave, as opposed to a moist tropical wave, which can spin into a hurricane.

The dust cloud aiming this way is huge, about 2,500 miles from west to east and 1,500 miles from north to south, or almost as big as the United States, Lushine said.

South Florida should see its western edge, which is where the tropical wave is embedded, but "they'll notice it more in the Caribbean, like in San Juan," Lushine said.

By today, the outbreak should be about 1,400 miles east of Miami, moving west at 345 miles per day, about the same pace as a tropical system.

Because the Sahara dust carries some pathogens, it might cause harm to coral reefs, particularly in the Caribbean, said Bernhard Riegl, an associate professor at Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center. Those pathogens, he said, include fungi, spores and bacteria, but the dust can haul even bigger objects. "Entire desert locusts, the insects, have made it across the Atlantic to the Windward Islands."

So far, there is no evidence the pathogens harm humans, although on the Caribbean island of Trinidad an abnormal number of infants have asthma problems, he said.

One good side effect: "It's difficult for tropical storm development to occur in these dust outbreaks," Lushine said.

[Guest durrtylexx]

I read about this today.. wicked..

[Guest pod]

fear is the mind-killer.

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

get ready for some allergies...

[Guest pod]

There's a typo on that graphic...if the dust storm was 1,500 miles high, it'd stick out higher than the space station is...

[Bling]

get ready for some allergies...

i was gonna say something but then cosmi would say im always bitchin about feelin sick lol

i havent felt them yet but then again i havent bene outside much lol

[Guest DLindo]

Fuckin A...I just washed my car!!!

[Kamikaze1414779018]

Get your Cameras ready .

News:

Saharan Dust Cloud May Bring Colorful Sunsets

July 24, 2005 - From Times Wire Reports

An enormous, hazy cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is blowing toward the southern United States, but meteorologists do not expect much effect beyond colorful sunsets.

The leading edge of the cloud — nearly the size of the continental U.S. — is expected to move across Florida sometime between Monday and Wednesday.

"This is not going to be a tremendous event, but it will be kind of interesting," said Jim Lushine, a severe weather expert with the National Weather Service in Miami. He said the dust could make sunrises and sunsets spectacular.

[Guest LeVeL]

Ohh well bring it 8)

[Guest Civs]

should be a cool effect fro all the photographers. on the bright side, this dust cloud will prevent hurricanes from forming

[Guest beat junkie]

Fuckin A...I just washed my car!!!

Glad I have a garage