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Saharan dust brings hazy skies to Sunshine State

Dust expected to remain in Central Florida’s skies through the weekend

Saharan dust

ORLANDO, Fla. – A late-season surge of Saharan dust has made its way back into Central Florida. The hazy, sometimes milky sky is courtesy of dust that has made its way across the Atlantic from the Sahara Desert.

At the end of the July, the dust created extremely vibrant sunrises in Central Florida. The dust scatters the light as it enters the atmosphere which helps to enhance the color in the sky.

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This time around, however, there is so much dust thousands of feet up in the air that it is doing more blocking than scattering. The dust may also aggravate allergies.

Dust typically becomes less prolific in the Atlantic through August and especially September, coinciding with the peak of hurricane season. As far as tropical weather is concerned, the dry, dusty air helps to limit tropical activity while it is around.

The dust in the Central Atlantic recently swallowed up a tropical wave that had a small chance of developing. In the short term, the Atlantic remains hostile for tropical development.


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