HOUSTON, Texas (KIAH) — A plume of Saharan dust is once again moving toward the Texas coast and is expected to bring one or two drier days to the area.
Recently, Southeast Texas has been consistently pummeled with afternoon summertime thunderstorms. Some of these storms have pushed severe limits, bringing wind gusts up to 40 mph, a tremendous amount of lightning, and rainfall rates of 1–3 inches per hour. However, from Wednesday into Thursday this week, you may see haze in the skies and fewer raindrops, as storm formation will be limited by an injection of dry, Saharan air.
The dust will be moving in from the south, carried across the Atlantic by strong trade winds before entering the Gulf of Mexico. As it arrives, it will suppress vertical cloud development, making it difficult for thunderstorms to grow. You may also notice reduced air quality and brilliant orange-red sunrises and sunsets — a common side effect of Saharan dust particles scattering light in the atmosphere…