This is thanks to a significant area of the Sahara Dust seen in satellite imagery that blows off the west coast of Africa.
Forecasting models show dust moving across the tropics – the main area of tropical development – and to the Gulf of Mexico at this time next week.
That means it will cover more than 5,000 miles, said CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.
“The large Sahara Dust wisps routinely track into the Atlantic Ocean from late spring to early fall,” he said. “Very often, when the dust feathers are large enough and the trade winds are formed properly, dust can travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic and into the US.”
Although dust is an indication that there will be little or no tropical development, that is not the main reason why a tropical system will not be formed when it exists.
“Dust is a visible part of the reduced development potential of the tropics,” explained CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. “This is dry air and additional vertical wind along with dust which is a driving factor in limiting the development of tropical storms.”
Vertical wind shear is the change in wind speed and direction with height. For a hurricane to form, it only needs a few shear winds and a very humid atmosphere.
So, for next week, don’t expect the Atlantic to see a fourth named storm. Instead, at this time next week, people who live and visit the beaches of the Caribbean and Gulf Coast will be in spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
When dust like this moves across the ocean, “high dust particles in the atmosphere can spread sunlight and create some of the clearest sunsets,” Brink said.
