ContestsEvents

LISTEN LIVE

Sahara Desert Dust Plume Hits Caribbean, Drifting Towards U.S

It’s actually pretty common for massive plumes of dust to travel the atmosphere above the tropical Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara desert to the Southern US. However, the one sailing…

IN SPACE – AUGUST 21: In this NASA handout, the umbra, or moon’s shadow, passes over Earth during the total eclipse Monday, August 21, 2017. Viewing the eclipse from orbit were NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson, ESA (European Space Agency’s) Paolo Nespoli, and Roscosmos Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Sergey Ryazanskiy. The space station crossed the path of the eclipse three times as it orbited above the continental United States at an altitude of 250 miles. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

It’s actually pretty common for massive plumes of dust to travel the atmosphere above the tropical Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara desert to the Southern US. However, the one sailing through the Caribbean right now appears to be one of the most extreme cases and it’s heading for the southeastern states. Due to the thick dust, The Barbados Meteorological Services issued a “Severe Dust Haze Warning.” The warning urged residents to take action due to significantly reduced visibility and potential respiratory problems for people who experience difficulty breathing.

The thickest layer of dust will stay South of Florida over the next few days. But by late this week it will spread over Texas and the rest of the Southeast. There is no need to worry though. For most people the dust is just a nuisance. It makes hazy skies and leaves a dirty film on cars. However, for people with preexisting respiratory problems, it can trigger breathing problems. If you're looking for some good news, the dust is known to be a hurricane killer.

https://twitter.com/JohnMoralesNBC6/status/1274797271847178241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1274797271847178241&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fsaharan-dust-plume-drifting-united-states%2F

https://twitter.com/tmcsjgw18/status/1274823200850030599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1274823200850030599&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fsaharan-dust-plume-drifting-united-states%2F