Hurricane Watch: Dry, Dusty Saharan Air Keeps Storms from Forming

From Hurricane Track:

Saharan Air Layer

This part of the hurricane season is typically very quiet and for good reason. It is during this portion of the year that we see the strongest of what are called “SAL” outbreaks. SAL stands for Saharan Air Layer and it is a the equivalent to spraying Raid on insects: it kills hurricanes.

The reason is simple. The low to mid level dry air originates from the Sahara and North Africa. Often times the SAL is populated with fine dust and other suspended particles such as sand. This acts to squash any chances of tropical convection and moves generally westward, eventually reaching the Caribbean and even the United States....MORE