LassieMcToodles t1_j8s7ntq wrote on February 16, 2023 at 4:10 PM

Reply to comment by TheCloudBoy in Is Ohio toxic cloud heading our way? by granitestate6

>which is totally unacceptable

Indeed.

(And now, years later, I'm wondering where all of the Lac-Megantic train wreck cloud blew, as HELLO! we were directly south of that one.)

TheCloudBoy t1_j8sb3sa wrote on February 16, 2023 at 4:33 PM

The HYSPLIT modeling ARL offers allows you to run archived parcel trajectories and dispersion, I'm half-tempted to run one to see where all that smoke ended up.

I'll keep this next statement as apolitical as possible: multiple facets leading up to and during the response to this disaster should show all of us how corrupt entire agencies and the broader U.S. government have become, regardless of which party has control.

Look at how this train wasn't classified as carrying very hazardous materials, the arresting of local journalists covering the event, the complete silence by multiple federal agencies for nearly a week (eerily similar to the Soviet Union during Chernobyl), a failure to share critical information in a timely manner, covering for a private company clearly in the wrong (eerily similar to Japan covering TEPCO during Fukushima-Daiichi), I can keep going.

thenagain11 t1_j910c0r wrote on February 18, 2023 at 12:11 PM

Their news is saying it's most likely dust/dirt from dust storms in Texas and Oklahoma. Apparently, these types of storms push a lot of junk high into the atmosphere, and it takes a while to float back down- which could explain why it got all the way to New england maybe?

What do you think?

TheCloudBoy t1_j91nkel wrote on February 18, 2023 at 3:36 PM

I very much agree with CT DEEP's assessment that what we saw in CT is from other systems in the Southern Plains. Those particles lofted into the atmosphere are (depending on the exact size) very ideal as cloud condensation nuclei, which are particles that water vapor condenses to and form larger water droplets. These droplets then fall to the ground in larger storms, which we've seen a few times now. Given we've had a few predominant low-level SW flow regimes prior to this report, I'm even more convinced it's dust from the Plains.