Sahara Dust Cloud Moves Over Florida

MIAMI, Florida — On June 6, 2025, NOAA GOES-East satellite imagery shows a massive Saharan dust cloud crossing the Atlantic Ocean and engulfing the Caribbean, Florida, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

A significant plume of Saharan Dust has affected South Florida‘s weather and air quality, which has resulted in hazy skies and a notable suppression of rain across the area.

This event may temporarily halt 2025 hurricane and tropical storm formation but could also trigger harmful algae blooms across the Sunshine State.

Because the dust particles are so small – often less than 0.002 mm across – they can remain aloft for days, carried by global air currents, forming what is known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL).

Larger grains of sand don’t get airborne as often or for as long, but they can be pushed along the ground by the wind or eroded by water.

These Saharan dust clouds typically take 5 to 7 days to travel across the Atlantic, reaching the Caribbean and the Americas, as tracked by NOAA’s GOES satellite imagery.

Saharan Dust Clouds Suppress Hurricane Formation

NOAA researchers have linked Saharan dust storms, composed of tiny dust specks, to reduced Atlantic hurricane activity, due to the dry air and increased wind shear they introduce.

Jason Dunion, a hurricane researcher at the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory’s Hurricane Research Division in Miami, Florida, and his team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison analyzed 25 years of satellite data prior to 2006.

They found that during periods of intense hurricane activity, large Saharan dust clouds blowing westward from the desert are relatively scarce.

In contrast, during years with fewer hurricanes, dust storms were more intense, spreading widely across the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, as noted in NOAA’s research on the Saharan Air Layer.

Saharan Dust Clouds Spark Algae Blooms

Saharan dust clouds can also fuel harmful algae blooms in Florida, impacting marine life and human health.

A NASA study found that iron-rich Saharan sand triggered a red tide algae bloom off Florida’s coast.

The iron nourishes bacteria that produce nitrogen, enabling rapid growth of red tide algae, such as Karenia brevis.

The iron also gives Saharan dust its faint orange hue, often visible in hazy sunsets across affected regions.