The first dust cloud from the Sahara Desert has arrived in the Yucatán Peninsula in the annual meteorological event known as the Saharan Air Layer. The resulting cloud will sit above the peninsula until Monday causing misty, reddish skies before heading toward the Gulf of Mexico, Nuevo León and Coahuila. Studies also suggest that the dry air from the dust stifles the formation of storms and hurricanes. “Inhaling dust particles when the weather is hot and dry can damage the mucous membranes of the nose and throat, providing favorable conditions for a bacterial infection,” its advice read. The dust can also spur the transmission of valley fever in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 12, 2021 16:07 UTC