Dr. Paul Staten, interviewed by Michael Reschke for The Herald-Times talked about the Saharan dust cloud.
Quoting Mr. Reschke: "The remains of a giant Saharan dust cloud are expected reach southern Indiana today. The cloud could reduce air quality, cause skies to appear hazy and a lead to a beautiful sunset. Or it might not do any of that.
'By the luck of the draw, this one made it over the ocean without much dust getting rained out,' Staten said.
It also reached the U.S. at a time when the jet streams are strong over the West but weak in the Southeast. An area of high pressure helped steer this dust plume over the southeastern U.S. and into the Ohio Valley.
'A lot of factors lined up,' Staten said. 'It was kind of a perfect storm as far as a Saharan dust event here in the United States goes.'"
Herald-Times material used with permission
The College of Arts