Here Comes The Sahara Dust Again! Enormous Cloud of Sand From Africa’s Sahara Is Heading for Texas,

[Elderberry]

Strange Sounds -Jun 16, 2020

Here Comes The Sahara Dust Again! Enormous Cloud of Sand From Africa’s Sahara Is Heading for Texas, Louisiana and Florida

Satellite images show that a vast plume of Saharan dust is drifting westwards over the Atlantic.

And meteorologists are predicting that it will reach the U.S. by next week, if not sooner!

Some of the dust could arrive in parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast, such as southern Texas, Louisiana and Florida, by next Wednesday… If not sooner.

This phenomenon is the result of tiny sand and mineral particles being swept up off the surface of the Sahara Desert by winds.

These particles are then carried by updrafts into an extremely dry and hot air mass known as the Saharan Air Layer, which forms above the desert between late spring and early fall.

More: https://strangesounds.org/2020/06/sahara-dust-usa-texas-louisiana-florida-video.html

[roamer_1]

What a relief. All y'all were fixin to run out of sand. 

[Cyber Liberty]

And, the sand all falls straight down to the ground and doesn't go to OK or NM.  If i read the article correctly. 

[Elderberry]

And, the sand all falls straight down to the ground and doesn't go to OK or NM.  If i read the article correctly. 

You must be reading a whole lot between the words. I read that it arrives at several Gulf Coast states. I didn't read where it finally ends up. That must be in those parts between the words.

[bigheadfred]

Another out of Africa story.

I always wondered what inspired "grits".

People should be required to wear masks and self quarantine.

[Cyber Liberty]

You must be reading a whole lot between the words. I read that it arrives at several Gulf Coast states. I didn't read where it finally ends up. That must be in those parts between the words.

Naw, making a snark.  It's like reading articles about Baseball.  The entire world drops off at the Hudson, and doesn't pick up until LA.  Same with this weather.  This was about the third or fifth article I found on this cloud of Sahara Sand, and none of them make a smidgen of a reference to points West.

Tired of not existing.   

[catfish1957]

On a positive note, higher than normal Saharan Dust activity tends to supress hurricane formation and intensity.  Especially during the Cape Verde part of the season.

[bigheadfred]

On a positive note, higher than normal Saharan Dust activity tends to supress hurricane formation and intensity.  Especially during the Cape Verde part of the season.

Since  hurricanes start in the Sahara does the higher dust amount cause hurricanes to rain themselves out early?

[Sighlass]

Since  hurricanes start in the Sahara does the higher dust amount cause hurricanes to rain themselves out early?

I always thought these tiny particles were the source of rain, being each drop of rain forms around an impurity. Drinking rain water isn't 100% pure water.

[catfish1957]

Since  hurricanes start in the Sahara does the higher dust amount cause hurricanes to rain themselves out early?

@bigheadfred

Pretty close guess there Fred. Here is a cut/pasted exerpt explanation from NOAA/NASA...

Researchers think the dust itself suppresses cloud formation, playing a role in preventing tropical waves from becoming more intense. Ismail said, “We think that dust aerosols can affect tropical disturbances, sometimes even kill those disturbances. Dust inhibits convection, the process of moisture rising to the higher levels of the atmosphere, and then precipitating as rain. So these Saharan dust layers seem to have a blanketing influence on the development of convection.”

[bigheadfred]

I always thought these tiny particles were the source of rain, being each drop of rain forms around an impurity. Drinking rain water isn't 100% pure water.

I think that is true for the most part. Drops form around a particle.

[bigheadfred]

@bigheadfred

Pretty close guess there Fred. Here is a cut/pasted exerpt explanation from NOAA/NASA...

Researchers think the dust itself suppresses cloud formation, playing a role in preventing tropical waves from becoming more intense. Ismail said, “We think that dust aerosols can affect tropical disturbances, sometimes even kill those disturbances. Dust inhibits convection, the process of moisture rising to the higher levels of the atmosphere, and then precipitating as rain. So these Saharan dust layers seem to have a blanketing influence on the development of convection.”

Not so much of a guess.

Do you know the word autodidactic?

[corbe]

   This won't be adequate to start the next $hit storm for America because I'm convinced that a lot of Americans wouldn't mind the idea of all us arrogant Texans being buried in the sand.

   Incidentally, The glass is always half full (FTA):

[bigheadfred]

   This won't be adequate to start the next $hit storm for America because I'm convinced that a lot of Americans wouldn't mind the idea of all us arrogant Texans being buried in the sand.

   Incidentally, The glass is always half full (FTA):

It is jealousy. You have sand to bury your heads in.

When they try it their heads bounce off concrete up into their ass.

[roamer_1]

It is jealousy. You have sand to bury your heads in.

When they try it their heads bounce off concrete up into their ass.

A ricochet biscuit. 

[catfish1957]

Well it is supposed to be hitting us right now, but almost as odd, is the fog shrouding our location at 11:30 a.m. on a late June day.  That's pretty dang rare by itself.

[Cyber Liberty]

A ricochet biscuit. 

Bow bow bow bowwww....

[bigheadfred]

Here is a Google Earth shot of where I live.



Click the pic for a larger size.

The pin at the bottom is where I live.

The area to the left is black lava. The gray areas are high desert==sagebrush and...lava rock.

The whiter area at the top are sand dunes. Some good-sized dunes. Plenty of people go flying over a dune in their ATV, etc. and crash onto...lava rock. Lava rock is some unforgiving stuff.

Most of the topsoil here is loess. It is blown in.

The Grand Tetons are to the right a few miles and Yellowstone above them. Craters of the Moon are to the left not too far out of the picture.

There is a fair amount of geological diversity here.

[Smokin Joe]

Here is a Google Earth shot of where I live.



Click the pic for a larger size.

The pin at the bottom is where I live.

The area to the left is black lava. The gray areas are high desert==sagebrush and...lava rock.

The whiter area at the top are sand dunes. Some good-sized dunes. Plenty of people go flying over a dune in their ATV, etc. and crash onto...lava rock. Lava rock is some unforgiving stuff.

Most of the topsoil here is loess. It is blown in.

The Grand Tetons are to the right a few miles and Yellowstone above them. Craters of the Moon are to the left not too far out of the picture.

There is a fair amount of geological diversity here.

Yep. Geologically, that has been a busy place--still is.

[catfish1957]

Deck has a reddish-brown hue right now.  I think they way over estimated the visual obscurity though.  Just not that hazy. 

[Sighlass]

3rd Day of Rain here.