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NOAA’s Satellites Track Saharan Dust Blowing Across the Atlantic

June 4, 2025
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Phenomenon/a: Dust, Saharan Air Layer
Satellite: GOES-19 (GOES East) 
Product: GeoColor
InstrumentAdvanced Baseline Imager
Timespan: May 28 - June 2, 2025 (6:00 – 23:50 UTC)

A giant plume of dust from the Sahara Desert made its way from Africa to the United States to kick off the start of meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite captured this multi-day time lapse imagery of the dust blowing thousands of miles across the Atlantic from May 28th to June 2nd. 

The dust is due to a two to 2.5-mile-thick layer of the atmosphere, called the Saharan Air Layer, crossing over the Atlantic Ocean. The warmth, dryness and strong winds associated with this layer have been shown to suppress tropical cyclone formation and intensification. 

When it reaches the U.S., it can cause hazy skies as well as vivid sunrises and sunsets as the sun’s rays scatter the dust in the atmosphere.  It can even suppress thunderstorm development over locations where the dust is especially thick.

Learn more about Saharan dust.

The GOES-19 geostationary satellite, also known as GOES East, keeps watch over most of North America, including the contiguous United States and Mexico, as well as Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Africa. The satellite's high-resolution imagery provides optimal viewing of severe weather events, including thunderstorms, tropical storms and hurricanes.