Is your car dirty after rain in the Kansas City area? Here’s why
You wake up after a rainstorm expecting to see your car sparkling clean, like after a trip to a car wash. Instead you go outside to see a car covered with a dusty film.
This phenomenon, known as dirty rain, has cropped up all over the country this spring.
Dirty rain fell on western Wisconsin in March, according to the local National Weather Service office, while in April, the Associated Press reported on an instance of the phenomenon in New England.
The Kansas City area was pummeled with up to 4 inches of rain, 80 mph winds and hail on Monday afternoon. At 7 a.m., more than 5,000 area residents were still without power.
Some in the metro noticed the grime that the storm left behind and wondered about why.
The dirty cars are caused by wind and debris in the area, according to Randall Collier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Kansas City.
During windy storms, dirt, pollen and debris get picked up in the breeze. Then these particles are blown around and collect on surfaces, like vehicles, windows and outdoor furniture.
Some of that debris can make it up into the atmosphere, where it collides with rain drops. Collier said, “The rain will also collect some of the dust as it falls through the atmosphere.”
Collier said that the dirt-filled rain is not especially harmful to residents, “as long as they’re not outside while it’s occurring.”
Recently, Kansas City area residents have been breathing dust in the air. The metro experienced low air quality last week because of dust picked up in western Kansas.
With Kansas and Missouri out of the rain until Friday at the earliest, your best bet for a squeaky clean car is a trip to the car wash.
