Chicago Experiences ‘Dirty Rain’ as Oklahoma Ranger Road Fire Sends Smoke into Atmosphere

Did you find your car blanketed in a mysterious layer of dust when you woke up on Wednesday morning? If so, you’re not alone. This unusual phenomenon has a rather interesting explanation.

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According to ABC7 Chicago’s meteorologist Larry Mowry, the dusty surprise is linked to weather events occurring to our south and west. Gusty winds from the southwest have been sweeping in particles from wildfires raging across Oklahoma, bringing dust, smoke, and ash our way.

These airborne particles, known collectively as particulate matter, are not only responsible for the dusty layer on your vehicle but also play a crucial role in weather patterns. When water vapor in the atmosphere encounters these tiny particles, it condenses, forming raindrops.

Therefore, what you see on your car is a direct result of this complex interaction between natural elements and weather conditions, a vivid reminder of how interconnected our environment truly is.

Raindrops form when water vapor condenses on particulate matter like dust, smoke, dirt or anything small.

The rain from Tuesday night, combined with a lot of that smoke and dust and dirt from Oklahoma that was lofted north, had more dust in it than a normal rain shower would.

On Wednesday afternoon, dryer air is pushing into the area with gusty southwest winds; that’s led to the fire weather concerns through the day.

Oklahoma’s Ranger Road Fire is the largest and is now a megafire: It exploded in size and has burned at least 145,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas since starting early Tuesday afternoon. That’s about the size of Chicago.

Another wildfire that broke out in Woodward, Oklahoma – a city of about 12,000 residents in northwestern part of the state – forced several thousand people to evacuate in the southwest quadrant of the city, the Woodward County emergency manager, Matt Lehenbauer, told CNN affiliate KOCO. Most of these evacuation orders were lifted by late Tuesday.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a disaster emergency for Beaver, Texas and Woodward counties on Wednesday, to activate state emergency management resources. Stitt had also requested air assets from Texas to help battle the fires, but it was too windy to fly, the governor said.

The CNN-Wire contributed to this report.

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