Look at the Sahara dust in the Atlantic - it's heading for the US [View all]

[malaise]

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-massive-sahara-plume-southeastern-sensational.html

By the time it floats down from the atmosphere it will have traveled more than 5,000 miles, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said. While it sounds dramatic, it's actually pretty normal.

"Large plumes of Saharan Dust routinely track into the Atlantic Ocean from late spring into early fall," Brink told CNN. "Every so often, when the dust plume is large enough and trade winds set up just right, the dust can travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic and into the U.S."

Right now the cloud is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to drift over the U.S. by next Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported. It will most likely sap some of the humidity from the air, the Chronicle said.

While its presence is usually innocuous, the dust can irritate people who have respiratory issues, depending on its concentration in the air, the Chronicle said.