Saharan Dust floats over Louisiana and the Mississippi Coast. Is it harmful?
If the sky looks a little murky in South Mississippi today, there’s a reason.
Saharan Dust has made it’s way across the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and into the Gulf of Mexico and is moving over the New Orleans and Biloxi metro areas on Monday, the National Weather Service office in Slidell confirmed.
Saharan Dust, also referred to as the Saharan Air Layer by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is “a mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara Desert during the late spring, summer, and early fall.”
This dust cloud, so to speak, whipped up from Africa’s Sahara Desert — a 3.6-million-square-mile hot desert, the largest in the world — moves over the tropical North Atlantic Ocean every three to five days, according to NOAA.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality issued a near-statewide Air Quality Advisory.
“Monday, southwesterly winds will transport a dense area of Saharan Dust across the state, further raising particle levels, and leading to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups AQI levels in most locations,” the LDEQ said in their alert.
Sensitive groups include people with lung issues or suffering from illnesses like asthma and COPD, people with heart disease, young children, the elderly, and those who spend a prolonged amount of time outside.
The dust is made up of particle matter that causes respiratory issues, the NWS said. The particle matter is also known as PM 25.
While Mississippi is not under air quality advisory, PM 25 levels are elevated on the Coast to 100, according to Air Now and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
The PM 25 level is at 109 at the Baton Rouge Capitol and at 124 in the Irish Channel in New Orleans.
The LDEQ forecasts PM 25 levels to be elevated again on Tuesday as the dust moves away from the Gulf Coast.
One positive to Saharan Dust: Expect a beautiful Monday night sunset, the NWS, as the light reflects onto the dust particles and will likely cast an orange glow.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast, including Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties, are all under a heat advisory until 7 p.m.
Miami Herald reporter Howard Cohen contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 2:52 PM.
