The Orchid Source - Orchid Forum

We are having a bad case of Sahara dust in Puerto Rico these last days. Today has been the worst. There are just a few clouds in the sky but all you see is a grey-white color overhead due to the thick dust coming from the Sahara caused by the strong Trade Winds. This will prevent rain clouds from forming and serves as a greenhouse cover over the Islands.
The heat is oppressive and people with asthma are suffering from this! I hate when this happens because our usual deep blue sky is hidden from all this crap!

why may i ask would the "dust" itself STOP rain clouds from forming ? I can see the cause being DRY Sinking air that originated with the winds over Africa in the first place, that would put a kabosh on clouds / rain , but dust per say should actually act like cloud seeding nuclei in some way.

those winds are also known to transport nutrients, fungi, insects etc.
The dry sinking air would HEAT up the atmo as well, making it hotter than you are accustomed to.
This too shall pass, just turn on the AC and put your feet up

Actually Brant the Saharan Dust actually cool the atmosphere and ocean, thus reducing hurricanes.
So better to live with the dust now Irma than face the wrath of Hurakán later

Ask our meteorologists, that's what they say. All the Sahara dust was what prevented any big hurricane from forming on the Atlantic last year. It serves as an umbrella that does not let the sun rays warm up the land too much and prevents the water vapor from going up and feed the clouds ( that is their explanation ).
My minivan is all covered with an ugly yellow dust. If I wash it 30 minutes later it is covered with dust again! The only thing I do is hose it down without scrubbing, just so I can see through the windshield!
Last Sunday I had to fill up the water reservoir because I had used it all up in a week!
All two gallons of water!

We got our blue skies back, but another dust cloud is approaching.