Another plume of dust has made its way off of the African Coast, and we are now tracking its arrival to the United States. Below you can see satellite imagery from the past 7 days. Notice how you can see the initial dust plume dissipate as it reaches the US, then another one manifests deep in the Atlantic.
When Will The Second Round of Dust Arrive To NC?
It appears as though the first round of dust is beginning to make its exit back out into the Atlantic, another round though is waiting in the wings. The timing For NC will be late this coming week, and I am think that Wednesday or Thursday will be the worse day, but how exactly the dust traverses the Caribbean remains to be seen. Below you can see a recent satellite image from GOES-16 that shows how the dust has inundated the Caribbean Islands once again.
First Wave Still Present, Diminished Air Quality Present Over NC Today
Today (Sunday), air quality around NC will be very poor, and the young/elderly should limit outdoor exposure. Signs point to some clearing by Tuesday, but as mentioned above, a second wave is approaching. Below you can see the most recent data for the Asheville area from AirNow.gov.
Please be mindful of this data as you make plans for the next week. Individuals with breathing difficulties should consider staying indoors as much as possible, especially on Sunday.
Severe Weather Possible Sunday Evening/Monday AM
A strong convective system could get its act together later this afternoon and move towards the mountains of WNC. Will it be considered a MCS (mesoscale convective system) or not remains to be seen, but it does appear as though the atmosphere will ripen for storm development later this evening and into Monday. Below you can see what the most recent NAM 3km projects late this evening. This is just one short range model, but it does show you that a threat is possible.
High Winds, Lightning, & Even Isolated Hail Possible
The main threat in my opinion with these cells will be high winds. Typically with these straight-line wind events we will see several downed trees and power lines along with a vibrant lightning show. Models indicate that there could be some prolonged storm activity into early Monday morning, so that will increase the threat for isolated flash flooding where cells happen to train in place. I will go live if necessary to keep you in the know, but you can always watch the AshevilleWX Weather Cameras live anytime below!