NORTH CAROLINA -- A plume of dust from the Saharan Desert has made its way across the entire Atlantic Ocean and it eventually will be in the sky over North Carolina by this weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • Much of North Carolina should see hazy sunshine this weekend into early next week.

  • The Saharan dust could make for poor air quality.  If you have a dust allergy or respiratory illness, you will want to limit your time outside.

  • On a positive note, the dust should make for spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

  • The dust will also suppress tropical development across the Atlantic the next several days.

Islands in the Caribbean including Puerto Rico and Antigua have experienced extremely hazy conditions so far this week due to the Saharan dust.

The dust will next spread across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas and Louisiana through Thursday and Friday.  It will then make its way across the southeastern United States by the weekend.

 

 

 

It is actually not all that unusual for Saharan dust to make it across the Atlantic this time of year.  The dust this time is just thicker than it typically is.  

That will give North Carolina a hazy sky around Sunday and Monday.  It could also impact our air quality.

If you have dust allergies or have a respiratory illness like asthma or COVID-19, you will want to limit your time outside Sunday and Monday.

On a positive note, the dust should make for some beautiful sunrises and sunsets!  

This dust will also suppress the potential for any tropical development across the Atlantic for the next several days.

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