A giant Saharan dust plume has made its way across the Atlantic Ocean and has started affecting the United States, as well as the rest of North America and the Caribbean. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, with much of it uninhabited and rain nearly non-existent, averaging about 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) of rain per year. Sand temperatures over 80°C (176°F) have been recorded in the Sahara. Residents of the Sahara live on the coast and on the far outer fringes of the desert. There are no roads across the Sahara. A Trans-Saharan Highway is approximately 4,500 km (2,800 mi) long. An expansive Saharan dust plume could act as a protective shield across the Atlantic, making it more difficult for storms to organize and strengthen, according to the New York Post. A giant Saharan dust plume has made its way across the Atlantic Ocean, according to blog.matthewgove.com. The Saharan dust plume has started affecting the United States, as well as the rest of North America and the Caribbean, according to blog.matthewgove.com. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, according to blog.matthewgove.com. Much of the Sahara is uninhabited, according to blog.matthewgove.com. Rain is nearly non-existent in the Sahara, according to blog.matthewgove.com. The Sahara averages about 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) of rain per year, according to blog.matthewgove.com. Residents of the Sahara live on the coast and on the far outer fringes of the desert, according to blog.matthewgove.com. Sand temperatures over 80°C (176°F) have been recorded in the Sahara, according to blog.matthewgove.com. There are no roads across the Sahara, according to blog.matthewgove.com. A Trans-Saharan Highway is approximately 4,500 km (2,800 mi) long, according to blog.matthewgove.com.