A new notes about the Saharan air layer (SAL)… *Dusty air from the African deserts carries upwards of 60 million tons of dust annually over the ocean and the Americas. *This phenomenon is not unusual. *The SAL has unique properties of warmth, dry air and strong winds that can act to suppress hurricane formation and intensification. *SAL activity typically ramps up in mid-June and peaks from late June to mid-August, with new outbreaks occurring every three to five days. During this peak period, i

Satellite imagery captured a time lapse of the Saharan dust cloud moving across the Atlantic Ocean from May 28 to June 2 as it moves from its origins in Africa toward Florida. The cloud has already covered much of the Caribbean, including Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in dust, and forecasters expect it to impact the Gulf region mid-week. Georgia, the Carolinas, Texas and Louisiana could also see impacts by Friday. The dust cloud, known as the Saharan Air Layer, typically occurs every y