Saharan dust will arrive in Fort Worth soon. Should you be worried?
Storms are not the only thing North Texans will be on the lookout for this weekend.
Saharan dust is currently moving over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and will make landfall in Florida on Thursday, June 5. The dust will continue moving north through Florida and parts of the Southeast over the weekend.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, only minor impacts are expected from the dust, such as red and orange hues in the sky, National Weather Service Fort Worth meteorologist Juan Hernandez said.
“Beside from that, we’re not really expecting that much,” Hernandez said.
Saharan dust in North Texas
Saharan dust is expected to be visible in the Metroplex late Saturday, June 7, into early Sunday, June 8.
This dust activity is common for the region and typically happens in the summer, Hernandez said. Prior Star-Telegram coverage shows that Saharan dust has impacted the area in June and July over the last few years.
Saharan Dust starts when there’s a stormy system that rolls off Africa, specifically from the Saharan Desert, Hernandez said. Wind blows the dust into the atmosphere and begins moving it westward over the Atlantic Ocean.
For this go-around, no health hazards are expected with this minor brush with Saharan dust. The only thing North Texans will notice from the dust is the reddish sky over the weekend, Hernandez said.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM.
