African Dust Cloud Heads For Florida

A cloud of dust from a massive African sandstorm is expected to move over large sections of Florida by early next week, according to Local 6 News.

The massive cloud -- nearly the size of the continental United States -- should arrive between Monday and Wednesday.

The weather phenomenon is part of a cycle that brings tropical storms and hurricanes to Florida.

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"The reason you probably haven't heard a lot about it is because the effects here are going to be very minimal," Local 6 News meteorologist Larry Mowry said. "What we're talking about are beautiful sunrises and sunsets with reddish hues to them. And you may have a little dust on your car if you leave it outside during the day."

"This is not going to be a tremendous event, but it will be kind of interesting," said Jim Lushine, a severe weather expert with Miami's weather bureau.

He added that the haze from the dust could make views of sunrise and sunset spectacular.

Scott Kelly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, said Saturday that the cloud -- which could dissapate -- may not have much effect on the rest of the country.

"Maybe south Texas or Mexico if that dust cloud keeps moving westward, but nothing north of Florida, unless a weather system can dive southward and pull that air northward," he said.

The dust outbreak starts when tropical waves lift sand from the Sahara a couple miles into the sky, reducing it to even smaller particles. The dust drifts west on a dry tropical wave.

If the dust is concentrated enough, the cloud could create some issues for people with respiratory problems, said Ken Larson, a natural resource specialist with the Broward County Environmental Protection Department.

"If somebody is subject to a respiratory condition, if they see hazy skies, they might want to take a little more precaution, not participate in strenuous activity and stay indoors," Larson said.

Some scientists believe that dust clouds impede formation of tropical storms, which can eventually turn into hurricanes.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.