Saharan dust creates hazy skies over Florida: How to keep your lungs healthy

Debra Harsh

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Saharan dust reached Florida's shores this week, creating a hazy blanket over much of the state.

Health experts are urging people with allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions to limit their time outside.

WATCH BELOW: Saharan dust creates hazy skies over Florida Saharan dust creates hazy skies over Florida

The dust cloud arrived in Florida after sweeping across much of the Caribbean, stretching 2,000 miles and spanning 750 miles in width.

"When you looked at a satellite, it stretched from the western tip of Cuba ... all the way out past the Leeward Islands. It was an extensive area of dust," WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist Chris Sowers said Friday.

The American Lung Association (ALA) said the dust could impact anyone with allergi