HOUSTON — Typically when you think of, "stuff in the air" affecting the look of the sunset, you think a fiery sky with reds and oranges and beauty. That's generally true for distant wildfire smoke and volcanic ash but for Saharan dust it can actually be thick enough to effectively mute any sort of wild display of color and light. Instead, a strange, other-worldly look can behold the sun, almost as if we're on Mars. While the sunset is blue on Mars (verses its usual orange sky during the day) and ours is orange at sunset (verses the normal blue during the day) thanks to atmospheric chemical differences, there is a similarity in the intensity of the sun when dust is present. It may even appear that the sunset comes a bit earlier (getting dark around 8) instead of the typical 8:23pm sunset this time of year.
This dust should start to clear out of the region by midweek. As summer progresses and August approaches, our winds should shift just enough to keep much of this Saharan dust south of our region. Early to mid-summer is the typical season for trade winds to push particulates of sand all the way from north Africa to Texas. While the dust can be an irritant to the nose, eyes and throat, it provides valuable iron nutrients to oceanic eco systems like coral reefs. However, the dust can also carry exotic fungus, bacteria and possible viruses. It is even thought to carry unhealthy microscopic iron particles that can lodge deep into the lungs, causing problems later in life. It's probably best to avoid long periods outside until this blows over. -Brooks
