Saharan Dust Plume

A giant dust plume from the Sahara desert is arriving in our area this week.

It is creating advisories now in the Caribbean.

See what it will mean hear by the end of the week.

A saharan dust plume is making the five-thousand mile treck across the atlantic ocean into the u-s.

However, this plume looks a little different than normal.

News 12's bekah birdsall tells us what we can expect.

"maybe we've seen dust plumes in the past, it just wasn't as thick as this particular one that we're seeing."

Every year we see large plumes of saharan dust carried into the atlantic by trade winds, the same winds that carry tropical storms and hurricanes.

However, the thickness of this dust plume that is currently in the atlantic, is different.

Today it reached the carribean where areas we're seeing historical amounts of dust and severe dust haze warnings were issued.

Forecast models have the dust reaching the tennessee valley friday morning, but much of that dust will be dispersed.

"we use visible satellite imagery in order to watch the dust plume actually lift into the atmosphere and then drift.

And then, we have some really complex forecast models that help us mimic what the atmosphere is going to be doing in the next several days and even week."

For us, this likely means hazier skies, and some bright, firey sunsets.

"you're probably going to see some phenomenal sunrises and even pretty nice sunsets also.

Perhaps maybe the shadows are a little bit less of what they normally are.

Maybe like a high cirrus shield, those high clouds that kinda seal the sunshine.

It maybe a couple degrees cooler."

Those with respiratory conditions such as asthma, dust allergies, and those who have recovered from covid-19, should stay indoors or wear a mask.

Large dust plumes do tend to suppress tropical development which is unactive at the moment.

Reporting in chattanooga, i'm bekah birdsall, news 12 now.

The hamilton county sheriff's office has identified