We’ve really had some interesting weather here in Colorado during the first part of August. Most days it threatened to rain, and then it rained, and then it cleared up, and then it rained some more.
Normal enough. Then we go out to our car on August 9 and WHERE THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM? Even though it’s rained just about every day this month, this is the first time there’s been a huge amount of dust all over the car.
So how did this happen? There are a few reasons you might notice the dust more after a rain…
Maybe It’s Rain Dust
Did you know that water vapor isn’t just a bunch of H20 molecules getting together to form clouds? They actually require cloud condensation nuclei, also known as “cloud seeds.” These seeds make up about 1/100th of the size of a typical cloud droplet and give the water something to condense around, like a grain of sand that becomes a pearl in an oyster.
You might have heard about planes dropping silver iodide or dry ice particles into the atmosphere in order to encourage clouds to form during a drought. But in most cases, this happens naturally around other types of condensation nuclei including ice particles, soot, sea salt, volcanic sulfate, phytoplankton, or dust.
Dust? Did somebody say dust? Well, there you go. The rain falls onto a vehicle and what’s left behind once it dries is dust. It tends to be pretty arid here in Colorado, meaning that there’s quite a bit of dust in our desert-like eastern planes. While official rain dust tends to happen in outright deserts, dust is certainly left behind by some of the rain we experience here in Colorado.
Hey, just be glad it’s not blood rain. This rain comes down red, as the name suggests, and was thought to be actual blood for centuries. Only recently have scientists discovered that the condensation nuclei came from aerial spores of microalgae called Trentepohlia.
Maybe The Wind Blew It On
When we say “a storm is blowing in,” we tend to think about the storm and not the wind that’s accompanying it. But rain often does bring wind with it. So there’s always the chance that the rain came down and got your car wet, then the wind kicked up and blew some dust on it. This is especially likely if you’re parked on the edge of a field.
It’s A Dust Beatdown
It’s possible that the rain wasn’t in the actual rain, but the rain put it there anyway. As we were just saying, the eastern side of the Front Range is a very arid place, meaning that it’s easy for dust to get kicked up into the air (especially as a storm is rolling in). When all of that dust gets into the air, it might settle down on your car, bookshelf, or porch. But if it rains and the dust gets caught between the rain and your car, it gets grabbed from the air as the raindrop falls, turns into mud for a moment, and then dries and turns to dust.
Maybe You Just Noticed It
Maybe every single drop of rain that hit you formed around a tiny piece of ice, leaving nothing behind afterward. But then why was the car so dusty afterward?
There’s a good chance that the dust was simply already there. Perhaps it was in such an even layer covering the paint of your vehicle that you couldn’t even see it, but then the rain came down, washing away parts of the dust while depositing it thicker in other areas of your car’s surface. Basically, the rain simply called attention to the dust by making it look different than it did before.
You know what? It really doesn’t matter how your car got dusty. If you’ve suddenly noticed just how dirty your car looks, bring it into Loveland’s best car wash. And if it keeps happening over and over, be sure to join our Car Wash Club where you get unlimited washes. You don’t need car wash coupons; all you have to do is show up and we’ll rinse you right off, making your car look great again.
The Best Car Wash Deals in Loveland
Here at Speedy Sparkle, we believe in giving customers options. Let’s take a look at some of our most popular car wash services:
- Exterior Washes – Stop by for a tunnel wash and spot-free rinse for just $6.95! A few dollars more gets you either the Speedy Total Protection wash or The Outer Limits.
- Full-Service Washes – You won’t find a better car wash in town than the Basic Full Service Wash. It consists of a tunnel wash, spot-free rinse, hand-dry, as well as vacuuming, window cleaning, and a dusting of your dash.
- Deluxe Service Washes – We can get your vehicle showroom-fresh with any of these packages, including the Diamond Deluxe Service Wash.
