Your Saharan dust forecast for June 2025

Saharan dust from the Sahara Desert is striking Florida this weekend, expected to affect Gulf Coast residents and parts of Texas into next week. EarthSky’s weather reporter, meteorologist Rachel Duensing, spoke with Deborah Byrd about what we can expect from this dust cloud and others. Peak dust season is from late June through early August. Rachel will also talked about how dust affects hurricanes.

Hazy skies ahead for parts of U.S.

This weekend, June 14-15, 2025, a layer of Saharan dust is forecast to be present over parts of the United States, primarily impacting Florida. Later, the Gulf Coast and parts of Texas might be affected. It’s the 2nd major dust plume to strike the U.S. so far this June. This dust crosses the Atlantic Ocean from Africa in about a two-mile-thick (3.2-km-thick)layer of the atmosphere called the Saharan Air Layer (SAL). When it reaches the U.S., it can cause hazy skies and vivid sunsets. It can also suppress thunderstorms in locations where the dust is especially thick.

And the warmth, dryness and strong winds associated with the Saharan Air Layer have been shown to suppress hurricane formation and intensification. At present, the dust sweeping in from Africa is helping to keep the tropics quiet.

Saharan dust, or the Saharan Air Layer, is exactly what it sounds like: dry, dusty air from the Sahara Desert. We typically see Saharan dust in the U.S. during spring through early fall. But it starts to get more active in the middle of June, with peak dust from late June through early August.

“Outbreaks” of Saharan dust can occur roughly every three to five days as tropical waves move from east to west along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. As the tropical waves move west, they force the Saharan dust high into the air, creating the Saharan Air Layer. This dusty layer can move thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, often reaching as far as the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast and – as now – the southeast United States.

Reduced air quality and rain chances are in the forecast today as a plume of Saharan Dust remains above South Florida.

The dust may also result in hazy skies during the day and colorful skies during sunrise and sunset. pic.twitter.com/vDvXN4qgxQ

— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) June 13, 2025

How does Saharan dust impact tropical weather?

Tropical cyclones, by definition, are low pressures that form over warm ocean water of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 C). But there also needs to be ample moisture stretching high into the sky. The Saharan Air Layer can be more than two miles thick. That’s two miles of dry, dusty air (which is 50% drier than the typical tropical atmosphere) stretching into the sky, cutting off moisture to the surrounding environment. When this layer moves across the Atlantic, the dry air limits the moisture in the air. So it also limits the development of tropical systems.

The Saharan Air Layer can also contain strong winds of sometimes more than 20 miles per hour (32 kph). Tropical cyclones also need low wind shear to develop. Wind shear is when wind changes direction and/or speed with height. Too much wind shear can tear apart or weaken tropical cyclones. So if the Saharan Air Layer contains gusty winds, this can add wind shear to the atmosphere, also making it more difficult for tropical cyclones to develop.

Impacts on other types of weather

While forecasters typically pay close attention to the Saharan Air Layer when forecasting tropical weather, it does impact other types of non-tropical weather as well. In addition to adding dry air to the atmosphere, it warms the surrounding atmosphere as well. This warm layer in the stabilizes the atmosphere, which doesn’t allow for the formation of significant clouds, let alone the formation of precipitation. This means if the Saharan dust makes it over land, it limits rain chances and allows temperatures to rise quickly, creating hot, mainly dry days.

When Saharan dust reaches land, sunsets and sunrises are also extra vibrant! Light is made up of all colors of the rainbow, which are made up of long and short wavelengths. Blue colors have a shorter wavelength, while warmer colors (like yellow, orange and red) have a longer wavelength. Sunsets and sunrises in general show more red colors due to the longer wavelength of that light and color passing through more of the atmosphere when the sun is at a lower angle. When the Saharan dust is in the air, it increases this effect, creating more vivid colors as the sun rises and sets.

Unfortunately, when Saharan dust is overhead, air quality can be reduced. If you have respiratory illness or sensitivity, or even a lower immune system, avoid going outside when the Saharan dust is in place, or wear a mask when going outside.

Ongoing research

A division of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) at NOAA studies the Saharan Air Layer. They use data from weather satellites as well as hurricane hunter aircraft to not only learn more about Saharan dust, but how to better add those data to models so it can be forecast more accurately, as well as how SAL data can aid in the forecasts of tropical cyclones going forward.

Bottom line: Saharan dust blows across the Atlantic Ocean every year, becoming more active in June. This dust can limit the formation of tropical cyclones and even clouds.

Read more: NOAA forecast: Atlantic hurricane season above average in 2025

Read More: Saharan Air Layer – NOAA/AOM

Saharan Air Layer Imagery