Nation: Forecasters tracking dust cloud as it spreads into Texas

The Associated Press

McALLEN, Texas (June 27, 2001 9:21 a.m. EDT) - A giant dust cloud that originated in the Sahara Desert has spread into Texas, impairing visibility and reducing air quality, forecasters said.

The dusty veil stretched from Cuba and the eastern coast of Mexico to South Texas on Tuesday. It was expected to reach into North Texas by Thursday. It wasn't expected to pose serious health concerns, forecasters said.

The origin of the cloud was identified through satellite technology.

"We used to get a haze off the Gulf, and people would call it the Gulf Haze. Nobody was sure where it was coming from," said Ron Wells, a Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission meteorologist. "Now we know what one of the causes is."

Air currents can carry volcanic ash, smoke from forest fires and other matter long distances, including from as far away as the Sahara Desert, off Africa's west coast, said Skip Ely, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The clouds can travel halfway around the world, usually at an altitude of about 10,000 to 12,000 feet.

http://www.nandotimes.com/nation/story/33683p-561099c.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 27, 2001