Milky Ash in Washington and Oregon Intrigues Scientists

The scientists are still searching for a logical explanation on what caused the recent milky ash that rained over Washington and Oregon on Saturday.

Some researchers refer to the strange phenomenon as the “white rain” and admit they were caught off guard when it occurred because it didn’t look like anything they’ve experienced before.

Officials from the Walla Walla County Emergency in Washington said that people started calling and reporting “white stuff” falling from the sky and covering the vehicles. The officials believe that the milky ash in Washington and Oregon could be a result of the Volcano Shiveluch erupting in January.

Researchers from the Rice university say that the white ash could be caused by the volcano. The scientists claim that in 1980 there were traces of ash from Mount St. Helens that reached as far as Oklahoma and Colorado.

The scientists from the University of Oregon explain that when the Krakatau volcano erupted in 1883, there were traces of ashes that reached Singapore, which was 840 kilometers north of the volcano. The volcanic ash also landed on ships that were as far as 6000 km west-northwest from where the volcano erupted.

Three months after the volcano erupted, there were traces of aerosol and ashes in the atmosphere that caused red sunsets in New Haven, CT and New York.

According to the reports, the sky was such an intense red that the fire engines had to be called out. Three years after the volcanic eruption, there were still red sunsets sporadically.

This means that the milky ash in Washington and Oregon could have been caused by the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano in January, scientists say.

The Shiveluch volcano is just one of the possible causes of the recent milky ash. The volcano is located in Russia and it caused a 20,000 feet ash plume when in erupted in January.

Following its eruption, the experts say that volcanic ashes were transported as far as Oregon and Washington.
Also, according to the scientists, the Shiveluch volcano had another eruption on Thursday, which was a day before the mysterious milky ash was seen in the US.
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Anne-Marie Jackson

Anna grew up on a steady diet of 20th century literature, science-fiction movies and Viking lore. Unsurprisingly she turned into a technology geek with an inclination for history & fantasy.