SAHARAN DUST

There have been more clouds than sun in the Central Florida sky this week, but you may have noticed the haze or milky sunshine during the breaks. That haze in the sky since Monday is the dust suspended thousands of feet in the air that made the trans-Atlantic journey from the Sahara Desert in Africa.

Velvet Sessions are making a return to Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando next month, the company announced on Friday.

The dust could make it harder for tropical systems to get stronger.

Things look to start changing as we head into the second week of August.

In addition to those large-scale features, another large plume of Saharan dust is trekking across the Atlantic.

There are several pros and cons to the annually-occurring event, but one of the pros is great sunrises and sunsets.

ORLANDO, Fla. – If your allergies and sinuses are acting up, the dust from Sahara Desert that has been in our sky is likely to blame. The lower concentration of dust should help allergies improve by the middle of the week. Tropical Update:Two areas in the tropics have been highlighted as having a low chance to develop. The tropics remain relatively quiet. Two areas have been highlighted by the National Hurricane Center as having a low chance to develop.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s all about the dust lately and that dust continues to be problematic for those with allergies or health conditions. The air quality will be poor through the weekend and those in the sensitive group category should limit their time outdoors. High temperatures top out in the mid 90s Saturday with a feels like temperature around 105 degrees. Tropical update:No new development is expected by the National Hurricane Center, but a few tropical waves worth watching are moving off of Africa. No new development is expected by the National Hurricane Center over the next few days, but there are several tropical waves moving off of Africa that bear watching.

The positives and negatives when it comes to Saharan Dust. Saharan dust and red tideThis is the potentially ugly side of Saharan Dust. Some large red tide years have also occurred without any Saharan dust. Dry air and increased wind shear are the main characteristics of the Saharan Air Layer, the official name of the cloud of Saharan dust. Saharan dust is the ultimate catch 22, bringing significant positives and potentially some negatives as it makes its yearly trans-Atlantic journey.

A heat advisory is in effect again for Polk and Sumter counties as the heat index has the best chance to climb to 110 degrees or hotter in these areas. The heat stays elevated like this through the weekend with actual air temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s. Air quality has moved into the unsafe for unusually sensitive groups category Friday. The haze will continue to stay in our sky courtesy of dust that has moved in from the Sahara Desert in Africa. Rain and storm chances start to increase by the end of next with temperatures staying hot over the next seven days.

While dust from the Sahara Desert makes a trip across the Atlantic every year, 2020′s dust has been abnormally thick. Because of the dry air and increased wind shear within the area of dust, tropical development becomes less likely in the areas where the dust is present. Hello, (goodbye) DollyIf you blinked, you may have missed Tropical Storm Dolly. NO tropical development is expected. There are several tropical waves coming off of Africa, which is early for that to be happening, but the environment is not conducive for tropical development at this time.

With the humidity factored in, it will feel hotter than the century mark at times Sunday afternoon. Beach Forecast:There is a low rip current risk at the beaches Sunday. This area of low pressure has a very low chance of developing into something tropical or sub-tropical. A broad area of low pressure moving away from the United States has a very low chance to develop. Saharan Dust could make its way to Central Florida by the middle and latter part of the week to provide us with brilliant sunrises/sunsets.

A quiet stretchSince Cristobal’s landfall, wind shear has dominated the tropical Atlantic, helping to keep tropical development down. El-Nino tends to suppress tropical development with higher wind shear and sinking air over the Atlantic. The blue bar represents La-Nina. Green represents rising air more favorable for tropical development. This does not guarantee storm development as other factors are in play, but hints at the most favorable locations for a storm.