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On April 14, 1935, a severe dust storm hit parts of Oklahoma and Texas, causing tremendous damage not only to the landscape but to the residents and the economy.

This week, another dust storm is set to arrive to the U.S. from the Sahara.  As unusual as it may sound, it is a weather phenomena that happens almost every year.  Commonly referred to as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), which is a dry and dusty air mass that forms in the Sahara Desert in the Spring, Summer and Fall and slowly moves through the North Atlantic and makes it to different parts of the U.S.

Things to Know:

  • This year’s dust plume is unusually large in size and is being tracked by the NOAA and the National Weather Service.
  • This dust plume is expected to impact much of the Southeast part of the US, the Midwest and parts of the East Coast.
  • Texas is expected to get hit around June 24th, and El Paso may see a little of this particular dust plume during that week.
  • The dust plume may wreak havoc on solar and wind generation in the areas that are impacted.
  • While SAL is not expected to affect the West Coast, California is not immune to other similar annual weather phenomena, such as annual summer monsoonal cover and other disruptions that affect renewable generation — like the fires that impact the West every summer.