NEW ORLEANS — A local health official is urging caution for Louisianians who are already at risk of coronavirus complications as a massive cloud of Saharan dust enters the Gulf Coast.
St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston sent out the warning to residents Tuesday morning, as an unusually large dust cloud from the African Sahara is making about a 5,000-mile trek across the Atlantic to North America.
The dust heralding the chance of red sunrises and sunsets across the Gulf Coast and suppressing tropical development in the Atlantic Basin.
Dust making the journey from the Sahara to the Gulf Coast is common during June, July and sometimes into early August. It creates a chance of red sunrises and sunsets and also suppresses the development of tropical storms.
However, it also poses a possible health hazard to those living along the Gulf, according to Preston.
"People with underlying health conditions like asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema or COPD should enjoy the enhanced sunset views from indoors with filtered air, or while wearing a protective mask, if outdoors," Preston said.
The coroner warned that, with the COVID-19 pandemic, people need to be cautious about "yet another invisible threat to respiratory health."
"Like the flower of foxglove, which contains digitalis, these sunsets can be beautiful but deadly," Preston said.
While prevention is the safest route, people should seek treatment at the first sign of respiratory distress, Preston said.
Weekend Outlook
An area of high pressure will sit over northern Florida this weekend. This will be east of Louisiana, so the southerly winds will persist keeping us humid. It will also bring in the Saharan Dust over us and that will make it pretty hazy. Saturday and Sunday will be partly cloudy and hot with spotty showers and storms. High temperatures will be in the lower 90s and it will feel like the lower 100s.
We are still watching the plume of dry Saharan dust currently moving into the Caribbean. It will move west and into the Gulf of Mexico later this week. This will keep the tropics pretty quiet. It will also make for some pretty sunrise/sunsets here and the air quality could become poor by the end of this week when the rain moves out.
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