Did your car mysteriously get covered in dirt this weekend? You’re not alone. Over the weekend, many Columbus residents noticed a strange layer of grime on their vehicles, and it turns out Mother Nature was behind the mess.
The dusty coating wasn’t just from local construction or pollen—it was actually dust carried all the way from the southwestern United States. Recent wind storms in New Mexico and Texas kicked up a significant amount of dust, which hitched a ride on the jet stream.
Did we figure out why every car is like this after yesterday? They’re filthy.
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As the powerful winds carried the dust northeast, some of it combined with rain and fell back to Earth right here in Ohio. The result? Cars, patios, and windows covered in a thin layer of dirt.
While this might seem bizarre, it’s not the first time Ohio has experienced “dirty rain.”
Back in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl, massive storms in the Great Plains kicked up so much dirt that it traveled thousands of miles, blanketing cities like Toledo, Cleveland, and even Boston in thick layers of dust. In some places, the dust was so deep that snowplows were called in to clear the roads.
Thankfully, the dust this time around is just an inconvenience—not a historic weather disaster. So if you’re wondering why your freshly washed car looks like it spent a week in the desert, now you know. Consider it a reminder that weather can be pretty wild sometimes.
