Will the Sahara dust storms affect

[ticka1]

the development of tropical systems in the Atlantic this year? I know that it previous season it has inhibited the development? Do you see the dust storms being a factor this year?

[jfranklin]

Patricia,

It has been theorized that the Saharan Air Layer, or SAL, a deep layer of very dry air, can have an inhibiting effect on the development of tropical waves and/or tropical cyclones. Such SAL outbreaks, as they are called, occur regularly throughout every summer. Whether or not they weaken tropical systems depends on the extent to which the dry air enters the circulation of the individual wave/cyclone, and this in turn depends on the particulars of the wave/cyclone environment. It is safe to say that some systems would be affected and others would not, but the extent of this cannot be forecast in any meaningful way.

James