Saharan dust to cause hazy skies in US, check out map showing which areas could be impacted this week

Forecasters have said that clouds of Saharan dust carried by winds across the Atlantic Ocean could cause hazy skies over parts of Florida, the Southeast, and the Gulf Coast this week, as reported by Newsweek. Health officials have warned that deteriorating air quality is likely to pose health risks to the public, especially to sensitive groups like children, older adults, and people with preexisting conditions.

Saharan dust to cause hazy skies in US, check out map showing which areas could be impacted this week (Unsplash – representational image)

Meanwhile, AccuWeather has shared a map showing which areas could be impacted by Saharan dust this week. Take a look:

(AccuWeather)

AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva said, in an advisory shared with the outlet, “This is the biggest Saharan dust plume that we’ve seen so far this year. It is very common to see large plumes of Saharan dust coming across the Atlantic toward the United States in June and July.”

“Many people will notice more colorful sunrises and sunsets, and a milky or hazy look in the sky,” DaSilva added.

An advisory shared with the outlet also said that impacts from Saharan dust is expected to be noticeable across parts of the Southeast and Gulf Coasts by Friday, June 6.

According to forecasters at AccuWeather, most of the plume would arrive in Florida by early Wednesday, June 4, and then extend across more of the Southeast by Thursday, June 5. Some areas may see dust and smoke combining and creating a hazy or dull sky. It added that the majority of Saharan dust is expected to stay suspended thousands of feet above the ground. Surface-level air quality is not expected to be hugely affected. The dust originated in the Sahara Desert.

The US is also being impacted by wildfire smoke from Canada

Meanwhile, various parts of the United States are also facing the effect ofwildfire smoke from Canada. This earlier prompted several air quality alerts in about a dozen states. As of early Thursday, the National Weather Service (NWS) had published alerts for various states, including parts of Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa.