--- title: "Reports of Strange Powder Falling From the Sky in Multiple States" description: "Accounts of a bizarre falling powder-like dust substance have begun plaguing multiple Mid-Atlantic states on the East Coast. " date: "2023-02-27" modified: "2023-02-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/dust-powder-falling-midatlantic" categories: - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "dust" - "environment" - "powder" - "the digest" --- # Reports of Strange Powder Falling From the Sky in Multiple States ![Accounts of a bizarre falling powder-like dust substance have begun plaguing multiple Mid-Atlantic states on the East Coast. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## What Even Accounts of a bizarre falling powder-like substance have emerged in multiple Mid-Atlantic states on the East Coast. As a [local *CBS* affiliate in Baltimore reports](), there appears to be dust or powder falling from the sky and accumulating on cars and in yards in Maryland, northern Virginia, and West Virginia. Though a definitive explanation hasn't yet been issued, *CBS Baltimore* notes that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) pointed to satellite imagery that showed dust from storms in Texas and New Mexico traveling to Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky shortly before people began seeing it on the East Coast. In a [statement issued on Friday](), that same state environmental agency said it's investigating the "dust issue" and that there isn't yet a reason for "shelter in place" advisories. ## Information Vacuum Given the regional proximity to the toxic chemical-toting train derailment in Eastern Ohio — Berkely County, WV, which the state environmental department names in its press release, is about 215 miles from East Palestine, Ohio — and the seeming communication breakdown there, the information vacuum surrounding the strange dust is ripe for disinformation. In an [interview with the *Associated Press*](), a spokesperson from the WVDEP said that there are currently no indications that the dust is associated with the [East Palestine disaster](), but as we all know, those sorts of official statements are often disregarded or treated with outright hostility by an increasingly large cohort of conspiracy theorists online — many of whom have seized upon [conflicting official reports]() regarding the derailment to [serve their ends](). As with the Ohio train derailment debacle, it's too soon to tell what's really going on with the strange falling dust happening in the West Virginia region. In the meantime, there'll be lots of conspiracy theories to fill the gaps in official reporting. **More on environmental weirdness:** [*Florida Scientists Concerned About Army of Invasive “Jesus Christ" Lizards*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()