The Southeast will soon experience a taste of the Dust Bowl

Americans in the Southeast are about to feel like they’re on the set of Mad Max. A cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert that’s roughly the size of the continental US is expected to reach the Gulf Coast later today, after traveling 5,000+ miles across the Atlantic.

• The cloud—known as the Saharan Air Layer—is considered the biggest of its kind this year, and marks the start of the annual dust plume season that typically runs from April-October.

Dust in the wind

Areas affected by the incoming dust cloud will see reduced visibility, hazy orange or reddish skies (resulting in beautiful sunrises/sunsets), and diminished air quality.

• Local forecasters in those areas warn that people with seasonal allergies, asthma, and other similar conditions should remain indoors or wear face masks outside while the dust cloud is present.
• The drier air from the dust cloud can also squash thunderstorms and tropical systems in areas that it passes through, meaning a dayslong break in the current rainy season for Florida and other nearby states.

The massive Saharan dust cloud is projected to remain hovering over southeastern US states through this weekend before dispersing.

To learn more about this transcontinental dust cloud…Check out this clip from Nat Geo’s One Strange Rock.