AIR ALERT: Saharan Dust Plumes Have Returned to Texas

That Saharan dust is a tricky little devil.

Over the past several days, I've had my attention focused on Hurricane Beryl (and with good reason). It's one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to form in June. It has already ravaged some of the Windward Islands, and now it's heading into the Caribbean.

Our First Sarahan Dust of the Season is Here

This morning, I heard meteorologists at several weather outlets saying that our first round of dust from the Sahara is moving across the coastline of Texas. I think the dust was using Beryl as a diversion because I didn't get any heads-up.

According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, a light to moderate plume of Saharan dust is expected to move inland from the south/southeastern Texas coast early Monday morning. It will then gradually spread north and west as the day progresses.

What Does That Mean for the Air That We Breathe?

The combination of the heat, dust, and even some smoke filtering in from Mexico means that almost everyone in Texas is located in areas with 'moderate' levels of particulates in the air. If you are unusually sensitive to particle pollution, you may want to consider reducing your activity level or shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.

TCEQ.Texas.Gov

On Tuesday, people who reside in south and southeast Texas will go from 'moderate' to 'unhealthy for sensitive groups'. Anyone with breathing difficulties who lives near Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Laredo, or Houston may want to limit their time outdoors.

Dallas/Ft Worth and Tyler/Longview will also be in this 'orange' zone, but that will be due to an Ozone Action Alert.