Yes, we got a lot of rain in Madison over the weekend. If you didn’t see any of the videos of the falls at Clifty over the weekend, you should check them out. But that is not what this post is about.
Weird light after all the rain in Madison on Sunday
This post is about the strange phenomenon a friend of mine noticed where it appears to be raining under the new power plant tower. Constantly. All the time. Not a downpour or anything, just a very light sprinkle that trickles onto your windshield every time you drive by. I didn’t notice until my friend pointed it out, but now, sure enough every time I drive by, there’s a little bit of rain.
It seems to have started when they brought the newest of the towers online, and this tower is supposed to be the cleanest. So logically, I’m sure it’s a very clean kind of rain falling on us. This morning, with the temperature in the low 50s, it didn’t rain, so perhaps it’s a warm weather thing.
Just curious as to whether anyone else has noticed our new weather system and has any theories on what might explain it.
My theory: The newly installed scrubbers use a liquid limestone mixture to extract sulphur dioxide emissions and prevent it (SO2) from entering our atmosphere and creating acid rain/smog. Because of this there is mostly likely an increased particulate (mostly harmless) count in the surrounding air and, because of the bowl shape of the surrounding geography that limits wind movement, the heavier air more easily condenses to form a fine mist.
I’ll do some actual research and see how far off base I am.