Monday is a WRAL Weather Alert Day, with showers and storms that could become strong to severe mainly after lunchtime. Storms will have potential to produce damaging winds and hail Monday afternoon and evening. 

WRAL Weather Alert Day: Monday brings risk of severe storms with potential for damaging winds and hail.

Four of the top 2024 contenders for the White House are planning to visit the Tar Heel State on Friday and Saturday -- an early indication of how important North Carolina is to each party.

Presidential candidates descend on NC, with election far in the distance

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Summer is here and we have some great suggestions on what to do this weekend! 

Weekend best bets: Beer festival, pimento cheese fest and more

The Science of Beer event, where happy hour meets science, was h

All assets associated with the tag: dust storm

Dust storm Coverage

Since landing in 2018, the InSight mission has revealed surprising things about Mars' interior and recorded more than 1,300 marsquakes. Each day, dust is making it more difficult to generate enough power for NASA's InSight spacecraft.

Continent-size dust storm threatens NASA's Mars InSight lander

NASA Insight Lander dust

 A strong storm system expected to produce dangerous tornados across the Deep South Wednesday night is bringing high winds and blowing dust in Lubbock, Texas.

Time-lapse: Storm expected to produce tornados in Deep South brings high, dust to Texas

Storm brings high wind gusts and dust to Texas 

A Saharan dust cloud is passing over the Southeast this week, bringing hazy skies and enhanced sunsets and sunrises to North Carolina.

Your pics: Saharan dust cloud brings beautiful skies to NC

Sunset at High Rock Lake

The Saharan dust is here and bringing gorgeous sunsets to NC

Sunset

A dust storm head towards the Southease could cause health and breathing issues for some people.

DEATHS ACROSS THE STATE HAPPEN AT THESE SENIOR LIVING FACILITIES. >>> WE HAVE CHANCE FOR A DUST STORM IN NORTH CAROLINA THAT ORIGINATED OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA. IT COULD CAUSE HAZY AIR IN PARTS OF OUR STATE. KAT IS HERE TO EXPLAIN WHEN IT IS EXPECTED TO REACH US. KAT. >> IT WILL GET HERE OVER THE WEEKEND. IT IS NOT ANYTHING WE NEED BE SCARED OF HERE. LET ME EXPLAIN. THIS IS SHOWING YOU WHERE THE DUST IS RIGHT NOW. NOTICE WE HAVE THIS BIG PLOOM OF DUST OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA. IT IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE IT HAS VERY DRY AIR. WHAT DUST DUZN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN IS THAT PLOOM OF SMOKE HAS MOVED INTO THE CARIBBEAN AND WILL MAKE ITS WAY TOWARDS THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. IN THE COMING DAYS. HERE IS A MODEL FORECAST SHOWING THE DUST MOVING IN IN THE COMING DAYS. IT MOVES INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO FOLLOWING THE WIND FLOW AND GETS HERE OVER THE WEEKEND. I DO THINK THAT THIS WILL BE A THICKER DUST EVENT FOR US. ONE OF THE EVENTS WE WILL SEE ARE THE IMPACTS WE WILL SEE WILL BE KIND OF A HAZY LOOK IN THE SKY. SOMETIMES IT CAN MAKE FOR SOME PRETTY SUNRISES AND SUNSETS. ANOTHER KEY CONCERN WILL BE DECREASED AIR QUALITY. >> AS THIS POTENTIAL DUST STORM HEADS OUR WAY IT COULD CAUSE HEALTH AND BREATHING ISSUES FOR SOME PEOPLE. JOINING US NOW IS DR. MATTHEW. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> HOW COULD THIS DUST STORM POTENTIALLY AFFECT OUR LUNGS AND WHO IS MOST AT RISK? >> WELL, AS YOU ELUDED TO BEFORE, DUST STORMS ARE JUST BIG COLLECTIONS OF PARTICULATE MATTER OF ALL DIFFERENT SIZES. SOME ARE HEAVIER THAN AIR THAT DON'T CAUSE TUCHL TROUBLE UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR FACE IN IT. THE TINY PARTICLE YOU CAN'T SEE ARE SO SMALL THEY CAN END UP DEEP IN YOUR LUNGS. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST AT RISK FOR HEALTH CONDITIONS FROM THIS ARE THOSE WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS ALREADY. SO, CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH ASTHMA, COPD OR OTHER CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE HEED AND STAY INDOORS. >> WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE WATCHING OUT FOR? OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE ARE VERY AWARE OF THEIR BODIES RIGHT NOW. WORRIED ABOUT POTENTIALLY CONTRACTING CORONAVIRUS. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? >> THERE IS A LOT OF OVER LAP. SOMETIMES IT CAN BE HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. EXPOSURE TO DUST PARTICLES TYPICALLY RESULTS THIS IRRITATION OF THE MUCUS MEMBRANE, COUGHING, WHEEZING THE FEELING OF SHORTNESS OF BREATH ARE THE MAIN SYMPTOMS. UNLIKE COVID, FEVER IS NOT A PIG PART OF THIS. >> HOW CAN PEOPLE PROTECT THEMSELVES? >> THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO STAY INDOORS WHILE THE DUST STORM 1 OUT. YOU CAN CHECK THE AIR QUALITY INDICATOR AT AIRNOW.GOV TO GET A GENERAL SENSE OF WHAT KINDS -- OR IF THE AIR IS DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR HEALTH. THE MASKS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ARE DESIGNED TO PREVENT DROPLET AND LIQUID SPREAD AND PROBABLY WON'T BE USEFUL FOR THESE FINE DUST PARTICLES. AGAIN THOSE ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR GENERAL PUBLIC USE TO CONSERVE SUPPLIES FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS.

The mask you have won't filter dust coming our way

During a dust cloud last year, people posted photos of vibrant sunsets on social media. In one photo, from Jupiter, Florida, Steve Weagle, chief meteorologist for WPTV, described a bright pink and yellow sunset as a "fire in the sky."

<p>NO WORD ON WHAT MAY HAVE LED TO THE SHOOTING. BACK TO YOU. &gt;&gt;&gt; DUST FROM THE SAHARA DESERT IN AFRICA IS APPROACHING THE U.S. AND COULD MOVE INTO NORTH CAROLINA THIS WEEKEND. ELIZABETH GARDNER JOINS US NOW TO EXPLAIN THIS PHENOMENON AND TELL US WHAT WE CAN EXPECT. SOUNDS CRAZY AND A LITTLE UNSETTLING. WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE WHEN THE DUST MOVES IN? &gt;&gt; IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE -- VERY HAZY IN THE ATMOSPHERE, ALMOST LIKE A WARM SUMMER DAY FOR US. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE THAT DUST IS AND WHERE IT IS HEADED. I DON'T HAVE A GRAPHIC HERE TO SHOW YOU. HERE'S THE SAHARAN DUST. YOU CAN SEE IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS A BIG BROWN CLOUD. YOU CAN WATCH IT AS IT TRAVELS EASTWARD. WE WILL MOVE THAT INTO MOTION. THIS IS OUR COMMUTER MODEL. WE TYPICALLY WILL MODEL RAINFALL, WE CAN MODEL A LOT OF O THINGS LIKE RAINFALL. IF YOU MODEL THE SAHARAN DUST, SATURDAY AT 9:00 A.M., IT IS UP THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO AND INLAND UP THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL SPREAD ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. IT MAY SOUND TERRIBLY UNUSUAL BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE IT INTO NORTH CAROLINA BUT IT MAKES A MIGRATION FROM THE SAHARAN DESERT. IT DUMPS A LOT OF THE SAND IN THE CARIBBEAN WHICH BUILDS UP THE BEACHES THERE. IT GIVES THE SKY A MILKY LOOK. THAT'S WHAT WE WILL SEE THIS</p>

Dust cloud could mean more colorful sunrise, sunset through weekend

A giant plume of Saharan dust on a 5,000-mile journey is expected to drift across the southeastern United States this week at altitudes between 20,000 and 30,000 feet, bringing enhanced sunrises and potentially suppressing storm formation.