This Week’s Idaho Mud Rain Blew in From Oregon

Newcomers to Idaho are probably surprised by the words mud rain.  It’s what you often see coating your car or truck after wind and rain.  Even many of your windows.  We had a round of it Monday morning and into Tuesday.  This time around there was a unique twist.  Much of the dirt is also a newcomer to Idaho.  A transplant from Oregon.  This time around from lake bed dust.

It's a Result of Ferocious Wind

Picked up by the wind, it blew hundreds of miles eastward.  While it doesn’t match the 1930s dustbowl for ferocity (dirt from Oklahoma ended up in New York City and Washington), it certainly created a mess.

Mud rain is a somewhat unique geographical feature.  We also get lightning in summer and often without rain.  It can be responsible for some nasty wildfires.

You're Happy if You Own a Car Wash

I live near a car wash.  It was very busy once the sun returned.

Initially, I thought the dust on my car was from a construction site next door.  In fact, the gusty winds tipped over a chain-link fence on my car.  I lifted the fence and got it balanced and then drove to work in the early morning darkness.  Only later did I discover a three-inch gash in the paint down to the metal.

Obviously, some of the dirt may have been local but what I collected was spread equally all over the car!  So, it didn’t all originate on the north side of where I parked.