Hazy skies, courtesy of the Sahara!
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – By the time the weekend gets here, the only thing in the Brazos Valley skies we’ll see (other than a cloud or two) will be DUST, all the way from the Saharan Desert.
A phenomenon that happens every summer, several times a summer, the trade winds in the Atlantic along the Intertropical Convergence Zone loft all this dust into the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere, and makes the thousands mile trip all the way to the Continental United States.
When does that arrive in the Brazos Valley? Very low concentrations will be noted before the week is done, then we’ll see some of the highest (so far) this summer by the time we get to the end of the weekend. All in all, this is not a huge plume of dust, but you’ll notice added haze in the sky, not quite as brilliant blue, but some pretty spectacular sunrises and sunsets. With this round, only minor hits to air quality are expected. Those with sensitive respiratory systems may keep the preventatives/medicines close by Sunday into early next week.
Saharan Dust also typically stomps out any tropical development. With this plume and another potentially headed our way late next week, that means that Gulf of Mexico tropical activity looks less likely through the end of the month.
There’s growing evidence that this dust is also vital to agriculture and ecosystems across the planet! Just another reminder that our atmosphere is all connected and shared in some way or another.
