Overview
- Satellite imagery and National Weather Service forecasts show a large Saharan dust plume moving west from West Africa across the Caribbean toward South Florida and Southeast Texas, with the leading edge expected late Sunday into Monday.
- Local NWS offices warn the dust will produce hazy skies, reduced visibility, and vivid sunrises and sunsets and that the thickest concentrations over Houston are likely through Tuesday.
- Health officials advise people with asthma, chronic lung disease, heart conditions, young children, and older adults to limit prolonged outdoor activity while the plume passes.
- Forecasters say the Saharan Air Layer carries very dry, stable air and stronger mid‑level winds that tend to suppress tropical convection, and the National Hurricane Center currently shows no expected cyclone formation in the next seven days.
- The event is part of a seasonal pattern in June and July when Saharan outbreaks routinely travel thousands of miles over the Atlantic, and model uncertainty means local timing and peak concentrations could change as updates arrive.