This year, the Atlantic hurricane season has been far calmer than usual, and it is all because of sand. Fine grains from the Sahara have been so abundant in the air that they have affected the formation of hurricanes. The Sahara Air Layer consists of sand and dust particles from North Africa that the winds throw up into the atmosphere. Dry, dusty air stops hurricanes from formingThe dust and sand make the air up high warmer and incredibly dry. This layer of warm air sits over a lower layer of cool air and keeps the tall clouds that lead to hurricanes from forming.
