ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando woke up to hazy skies Thursday morning as a plume of Saharan dust made its way across Central Florida.
The dust is not just an interesting sight, it’s a weather factor that’s expected to shape the rest of the day across the region.
Saharan dust: Rain chances, air quality
The moderate Saharan dust layer is expected to linger, and it’s doing a few key things for weather around Orlando and the surrounding areas.
- Rain chances drop: The dust is forecast to lower rain chances to the 40-50% range for much of the day. That means off-and-on showers are possible, especially in the afternoon and early evening hours, but widespread rain looks less likely than usual.
- Air quality moderate, but may affect sensitive groups: While air quality remains in the “moderate” category and is considered acceptable for most, anyone with asthma or other respiratory issues should be aware because the dust could make breathing a little more difficult.
- Colorful sunsets expected: Although the haze is likely to mute the sunrise, you could be in for a visually stunning sunset, with reds, oranges and purples scattered across the sky. That’s because the Saharan dust scatters sunlight in a unique way. If you see a beautiful sky, share your photo with ClickOrlando’s PinIt! at https://www.clickorlando.com/pins/.
Forecast: Hot with scattered showers
Morning temperatures in Orlando started off around 75 degrees, with Central Florida spots such as Titusville and Cape Canaveral also in the low to mid-70s.
The forecast calls for temperatures to rise to near 90 degrees by the afternoon. Showers are likely to be on-and-off throughout the late day, picking up mainly after 3 p.m.
As always, keep an umbrella handy just in case a downpour heads your way.
7-day forecast for Orlando
The extended forecast shows that the pattern will stick around for a while.
Highs each day are expected to climb into the low to mid-90s, with rain chances hovering between 40-50% through midweek.
At this time, no major changes in rain or temperature patterns are indicated.
Bottom line?
Central Florida is in for a hot, hazy day with moderate air quality and potential for pop-up rain showers, plus a chance for memorable sunset views Thursday evening.
Sensitive groups should be mindful of air quality, and everyone can keep track of changing conditions with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com.