Over the past few weeks, the United States has experienced unprecedented heat, a hurricane and tornadoes. Now, the country is set to see another weather phenomenon as a plume of dust from the Sahara drifts across the Atlantic Ocean, creating hazy sunsets and possibly respiratory issues. How does dust from the Sahara make its way across an ocean and into U.S. cities? These spells of Saharan dust typically peak from late June through August, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The base of the dust plume starts about a mile above the ground, and the plume can extend up to 2.5 miles into the atmosphere, according to scientists at the agency who track the movement of Saharan dust at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Source: New York Times July 12, 2021 12:11 UTC