SEATTLE - What seemed to be one of the busiest hurricane seasons of recent times is now slowing down, at least for a few days, as surges of dust-laden air from Africa's Sahara Desert are calming down the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The push of dusty air westward across the Atlantic Basin is known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), a mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara Desert during the late spring, summer and early fall. The warmth, dryness and strong winds associated with the SAL have been shown to suppress tropical cyclone formation and intensification. But this year's outbreak of Saharan dust is the highest since at least early June of 2022, according to WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry.
