More Saharan Dust Expected in Texas Through July

Hazy skies will persist over parts of Texas on Tuesday, thanks to a plume of Saharan dust that has been irritating sensitive eyes, noses and throats since last weekend. Forecast models, though, show more dust is coming and an even more concentrated dose of dust could hit Texas in the next 10 days.

Saharan dust in a nutshell

During West Africa's monsoon season, which started last month continues through August, rain-cooled air kicks up desert dust in the Sahara high into the atmosphere. The dust then travels more than 5,000 miles — from North Africa, across the tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico — floating westward to Texas on winds about a mile above the surface of the ocean.

The dust hurts air quality not only by giving skies a milky haze, but also by triggering allergy flare-ups or allergy-like symptoms, including eye and throat irritation, for those with asthma or sensitive respiratory systems.

However, Saharan dust is also one reason why the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been so quiet so far. Because the arid air carrying Saharan dust drifts through same part of the Atlantic where tropical cyclones often form, dust plumes have disrupted storm development this hurricane season. Of the two weak tropical storms that formed so far, Andrea in the North Atlantic was far north of the dust plumes, and Barry on the eastern coast of Mexico stayed well south of the plume in Texas this week.

When will Saharan dust go away?

Some in Central and South Texas, in cities like Austin and San Antonio, have been able to see vibrantly colored sunsets and sunrises because of how the dust particles scatter sunlight low on the horizon. For those regions, the Saharan dust will diminish Wednesday as residual atmospheric moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry makes its way across the Edwards Plateau west of Interstate 35.

Cities closer to the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas, like Houston, Galveston and Beaumont, though, can expect the haze to linger through Thursday as the last surges of Saharan dust move through the region, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

When will the dust come back?

Based on dust data gathered and analyzed by NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System, forecast models show another, but much less concentrated, surge of Saharan dust entering Texas from the Gulf of Mexico on Friday and surging into the state through the weekend. The lesser dust plume should start exiting the region by next Monday, the modeling shows.

What can we expect in July?

In the next 10 days, a massive, highly concentrated dust cloud that is being pulled from North Africa this week, will make its way to the Texas Gulf Coast by July 9 or July 10. The forecast models also show yet another wave of Saharan dust drifting through the western Caribbean at the same time.