5 Things to Know About African Dust Over Amarillo This Week

Here’s some advice. I’d wait to wash your car for a few days.

Dust plumes blown in from the Sahara Desert in North Africa will be clouding up the skies over Amarillo and The Panhandle this week and possibly affect people with respiratory problems, so here are five things to know:

It’s not unusual: African dust clouds reach Amarillo from across the Atlantic Ocean a couple of times each summer
“Moderate” air quality: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality expects air in Amarillo during the week to be acceptable but it could pose “a moderate health concern for a small number of people,” according to TCEQ standards, like causing dry eyes or itchy throats.
It’s dust and some smoke: The TCEQ says the African dust over West Texas may include light amounts of patchy smoke from agricultural fires in Mexico and Central America. A small portion of it falls to the ground, making the air quality a little worse, meaning that people with respiratory conditions such as asthma should limit outside activities.
Interesting fact; They can suppress hurricanes: Not only can the dust help build up Caribbean beaches and keep the Amazon green, meteorologists say, the dust also interferes with the formation of hurricanes and tropical storms.
It won’t last: “African dust will linger in decreasing quantities over most of the state, with the highest concentrations remaining in South Texas and along the coast,” the TCEQ said in its forecast Thursday.