KATC's Rob Perillo Explains How Saharan Dust Tames Tropical Development

Louisiana is bracing for another active hurricane season; if anything can tame the tropics, it’s the plume of dust that comes off the African coast, the Sarahan Dust.

For years we’ve heard meteorologists reference the Sarahan Dust in their forecasts for tropical development in the Atlantic, but do we know what the dust does to the tropics to halt tropical development?

Some amateur meteorologists may try to explain what “the dust” does to prevent hurricanes from forming. Still, professionals like my friend from KATC TV-3 Rob Perillo has a scientific explanation of the importance of dust over the tropics.

Rob explained to me in detail how the Sarahan Dust plays a role in taming the tropics, and he notes that the dust is often present in the early portion of hurricane season.

Unfortunately, we don’t see much dust coming off the African coast in the later part of hurricane season, thus that’s why we often see larger and more hurricanes in August and September.

The dust coming from Africa often reaches the United States in late June and July, which makes for beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The Saharan Dust, when over the Atlantic, can act as a sponge by absorbing much of the moisture required for tropical development.

Dust from the desert, when over the Atlantic, acts as an inhibitor, but when monsoons sweep across Africa later in the summer, it limits the amount of dust that enters the atmosphere. So, when there is more moisture over the ocean during the late summer months, this favors tropical development.

Now that we know there will be less dust coming off the coast of Africa in August and September, Rob says we should expect a very active hurricane season.

When I asked if any storms would make their way into the Gulf of Mexico, he said we should expect a few major storms in the gulf, but it’s way too soon to say where and when they could make landfall.

The most important thing to remember as we enter the active part of hurricane season is to be prepared and to stay informed.

Remember, just because an active hurricane season is predicted by those in the meteorology world, it does not mean every storm or any storm will impact your area.