Saharan Dust Cloud in Florida Will Leave You Tasting Sand in Your Mouth

A Saharan dust cloud is moving across the Atlantic Ocean and could soon reach Florida, according to weather forecasters, bringing hotter days, less rain, and poorer air quality.

The dust cloud that's traveling toward South Florida is a mixture of sand and dust from the Sahara, a desert area that covers most of North Africa. If the wind blows strongly on the Sahara, clouds of dust can reach very high altitudes and be transported as far as the U.S.

One such cloud was spotted by meteorologists leaving Africa and heading towards the southeastern region of the U.S. last week, leading the National Weather Service to warn Floridians that the Saharan dust might significantly lower air quality in the area.

"A plume of Saharan Dust will arrive across our region late this weekend into the upcoming work-week," the NWS Miami-South Florida tweeted. "Strong upper-level winds carry these small sand particles originally from the Saharan Desert far across the Atlantic ocean."

This part of the country has so far been largely unaffected by the plumes of wildfire smoke coming from Canada, which caused New York City, New England, Chicago, and the Great Lakes to be enveloped in a thick, gray fog.

According to meteorologists at The Weather Channel, the dust cloud would likely reach Florida on Wednesday and linger for several days. Meteorologist Orelon Sidney said that in parts of the Caribbean and possibly southern Florida "you could actually stick your tongue out and crunch" the sand enveloped in the Saharan dust cloud.

"That's expected to go through the middle of the month of July," she said.

NWS San Juan wrote that the "air mass containing Saharan dust" will reach the area on Sunday night and persist for the next couple of days. "Be aware that dust particles can exacerbate health conditions in vulnerable and sensitive groups," the agency added.

It's not all bad news though, according to weather experts. The Saharan dust cloud could help to block out sunlight and bring the temperature down in the state, according to AccuWeather—a much-needed development after a week of record-breaking heat, with temperatures reaching the triple digits in part of Florida on Friday.

The Saharan dust cloud, by making the atmosphere drier than normal, may also prevent the development of hurricanes and tropical storms.

"After a record low start to dust season, the Sahara Desert is open for business," tweeted WFLA-TV chief meteorologist and climate specialist Jeff Berardelli. "This will make for hazy skies, but it will also help to suppress tropical activity and likely help cool the blazing hot Tropical Atlantic."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects between 12 and 17 tropical storms to develop this hurricane season, nine of which could turn into hurricanes. Up to four of these might become major hurricanes, according to the agency.