ATLANTIC OCEAN — Saharan dust has arrived in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling thousands of miles across the water. The dust consists of a plume of dry, dusty air that has settled over a breeding ground for tropical storms. This dry air is expected to play a role in the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

The Saharan dust contains ingredients that can suppress tropical development, limiting storm formation and intensification across the Atlantic. It injects dry, stable air into the region and can disrupt tropical development by suppressing thunderstorms. Saharan dust floods the atmosphere with dry air and can increase atmospheric stability during hurricane season.

The dust can also increase wind shear, which can tear apart developing storm systems. The presence of Saharan dust results in fewer opportunities for tropical disturbances to organize and strengthen into hurricanes. No immediate tropical development was expected in the Atlantic basin over the several days following the report.

Hurricanes require warm ocean water, tropical moisture, and light winds to develop. "Saharan dust is the ingredient that doesn't belong—smothering storms before they have a chance to come together," meteorologist Jane Minar said.

The dust originates over the Sahara Desert, where strong winds loft it high into the atmosphere. The plumes are then carried westward across the Atlantic Ocean during late spring and summer, carrying hot, dry air. Saharan dust was present in the skies over Florida on a Friday morning, and the dust over Florida was expected to ease during the weekend following the observation. The presence of Saharan dust does not guarantee that storms cannot develop in the Atlantic basin.