Saharan dust storms are regularly whipped out over the Atlantic by strong easterly winds near the Earth’s equator. Depending on the time of year, the dust may be blown across the ocean toward either South America (February-April) or Central and North America (June to October). This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from May 21, 2003, shows a dust storm whirling over the Atlantic off the west coast of Africa.
Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
