People in Maryland, West Virginia find mysterious dust on cars. What is it?

[yuna628 9,680]

Well it started on Thursday evening and spread into quite panic, with fire departments telling residents in MD and WV to shut windows, turn off the HVAC, and stay inside. We had been outside briefly, and my husband pointed out this weird low lying wall of clouds suddenly blotting out what was a really clear night. He thought it was fog. When we started seeing what was falling, I had to try and reassure him it was not a nuke plant going off. That being said, even with the windows closed and everything, my eyes felt as if I was stuck in a room full of cats - it seemed irritating. By Friday morning, there was not many answers, but by that time we had high winds which had blown most of the substance that landed, away. It looked like dusty sand/dirt and pollen to me. It smelled like minerals. Some people claimed it was ash or even fluff (and while nothing that resembled ash fell here, there were several distinct types of materials as the system passed through).That Thursday was very unusually warm, but cooler winds were coming in from the SW.

 

The prevailing theory was that it was a dust storm that had traveled from the west. WV has now tested the substance had reported that it was not harmful, and consists of pollen and trace mineral dust. It reminded me of stories my grandfather used to tell about the 30s dust storms, some that made it all the way to the east coast. The weird thing is that there was no warning about it and that has done little to quell any anxiety some people have about it.

 

Quote

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) — “What is it?” That’s what residents of western Maryland and eastern West Virginia asked themselves Friday morning when they found their cars and other things outside coated in dust.

People were quick to share pictures and videos of the coatings on social media. Some only captured the aftermath, while others saw the particles floating down from the sky.

 

Sherry Miller of Inwood, West Virginia, said her husband saw something unusual in the driveway, grabbed his flashlight and saw the dust falling. It was too warm for snow overnight, but something was coating cars.

“We had no idea what it was,” Miller said. “It looked like ash. I asked my husband if it was from the wood stove and he said, ‘No, it’s all over Berkeley County.'” https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/science/3874697-people-in-maryland-west-virginia-find-mysterious-dust-on-cars-what-is-it/

 

[Ban Hammer 13,403]

maybe just fallout from ohio..........

[Dashinka 24,597]

I was thinking Aralkum desert dust.

[TBoneTX 45,537]

1 hour ago, Ban Hammer said:

maybe just fallout from ohio..........

This was my first thought, too.

4 hours ago, yuna628 said:

it was not harmful

Good to hear, Y ma'am.

4 hours ago, yuna628 said:

there was no warning about it and that has done little to quell any anxiety some people have about it

This is becoming increasingly typical of Government.

[LIBrty4all 3,754]

I'm trying to remember what recently happened recently to the SW of MD that might cause particulates in the atmosphere.

Was it a laptop?  No.
Was it a balloon?  No.  

Was it a UFO?  No.

I must have my head in the clouds to not be able to remember it...

[TBoneTX 45,537]

31 minutes ago, LIBrty4all said:

I must have my head in the clouds to not be able to remember it

Or Bidementia is communicable.  Speedy recovery.

[yuna628 9,680]

You know, a lot of people were thinking of Ohio when this happened. But the meteorological data does NOT support that in any way shape or form. Some very excellent meteorologists could plot the trajectory of the jet stream, wind direction, and models at the time. The data correlates to three areas that are continuing to experience severe dust storms that are getting sucked up into the jet. Due to our unusual weather this time of year, there was also a large pollen bloom in the Appalachians. The tests run do not show anything hazardous - it's just pollen and dust debris and that is consistent with any visible residue I've seen here. It's not unheard of to have dust storms on the east coast, but a specific mix of weather events have to happen.

 

The ''Ohio'' theory is not the only one I've heard. There was a lot of panic and some people believed they had seen a low flying aircraft at the time. This was traced back to a USGS plane. People in MD been concerned lately with explosions coming from the military base, and thought something was amiss there. I think for a better picture and to put people at ease, we should test multiple areas (because the types of materials did seem different). Some people did report a strange smell or burning - that was not my experience - it was a dirt smell but it was irritating to the eyes. We shouldn't discount people's claims, but we should understand that a lot of people were claiming things that night - from alien spaceships to the next Chernobyl. FWIW, I believe the data shows the majority content was harmless, I cannot say that closer to the OH/WV border, and the state agencies still investigating should have handled this better. There's a lot of frustration and online discussion.

[TBoneTX 45,537]

7 hours ago, yuna628 said:

the state agencies still investigating should have handled this better

So much worry could be alleviated if Government would take charge of what it's supposed to be doing -- serving the people.