Science & Nature
Yep, It Rained Mud in Chicago
The reporter's filthy car after a "dusty rain" fell on Chicago. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Street parking is rough on cars but this week, Chicagoans discovered a new hazard: It rained mud.
Usually rain rinses away residue. Instead, vehicles across the city were coated in dirt Wednesday thanks to a perfect storm of events that started with wildfires hundreds of miles away.
Thousands of acres burned in Oklahoma and Kansas, sending dust and ash aloft. The same strong winds that fueled the fires carried the dirt northeastward, where the particles became embedded in the showers that fell on Chicago, the National Weather Service explained on social media.
“The result being ‘dusty rain,’” the weather service said.
As one person commented on weather post, “It looked like a giant pail of muddy water was dumped on my car.”
While some Chicagoans found the humor in the dirt falling on Ash Wednesday, others commenters bemoaned the timing: “Just got a car wash and I came out to this mess."
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
