Dirt rained down on Houston. Where did it all come from? [View all]
My car was covered in dirt despite some heavy rains last night
https://www.khou.com/article/weather/storms-dirt-dumped/285-b910b34d-a855-4617-90de-d384974daee6
Rain, wind, hail, and ... dirt? Yes, Houston truly got it all from this latest round of severe storms. So where did the dirt come from and why was there so much of it?
The dirt and pollen were streamlined from the Hill Country where the powerful front became organized linearly. When this happens, a squall line develops and acts as a bulldozer of powerful wind for the areas in its path. As it came barreling through Southeast Texas, it brought along dirt and damaging winds.....
Another side effect of severe storms that left our cars with filth comes with downbursts. When thunderstorms build, they have strong updrafts -- the strong pull of air from the surface that's used to build the tall columns of electrified clouds. And when the storm rains itself out, what goes up must come down. When the storms collapse, they drop down more rain and some of the dirt they initially scooped up.