African Dust Storm Could Affect Parts of Texas

A cloud of dust from an African storm is headed towards Texas.  The African dust cloud which is coming from the Sahara Desert is traveling westward and slowing crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

KTRK-TV reports that the dust should arrive in the Lone Star State some time next week.

Small amounts of the storm could land in Southeast Texas. Most of the fine dust particles will stay thousands of feet above the ground, and the majority of us won't notice it except for the grayish tint to the sky that could come as a result.

However, those with respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies could be effected especially if you're outdoors for a long period of time.

Young kids, the elderly and pets could notice symptoms as well.

If you'll be travelling out east, keep an eye on the sky to see if you notice this phenomena. If you're one of those that could effected, by all means don't spend too much time outside if you can help it.

This isn't the first time dust has traveled halfway across the globe to Texas, and it won't be the last. A report from Texas Monthly explains that the Saharan Air Layer dust outbreaks typically occur this time of year when atmospheric ripples cause massive storms that throw all this dust into the air.

The NASA photo below is from March of this year, and shows that dust was already starting to be whipped up back in spring. It's pretty crazy to think about how much bigger that dust cloud gets and how far it travels to cause trouble here in Texas.

Small world, right?