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Dirty car after Houston storms?
After the storms on Monday, you may have discovered that your car is very dirty. Where did it all come from? FOX 26 Chief Meteorologist Mike Iscovitz explains.
HOUSTON - After yesterday's heavy rain and high winds, many woke up this morning to find that their car is filthy - covered in a dusty light brown coating of muck. So what happened?
Well, the answer involves the foundation of how clouds and raindrops form.
When humid air condenses to form a cloud, it doesn't form into a raindrop on its own. It typically needs a tiny particle to form onto - these are called "cloud condensation nuclei" and could be tiny specs of salt from the oceans, pollen, air pollution soot, naturally occurring dust or just plain dirt.
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It may be surprising that rain isn't exactly clean, and in the case of Monday's rain, it looks like high winds in West Texas kicked up dirt and dust into the air which become the specks for raindrops to form on. When the rain fell, that West Texas dirt landed on your car.
When the water evaporated, you were left with a messy, dusty goo. It's all natural and happens a few times a year. For now, you can either find a car wash or wait for the next round of rain early Friday.