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Oct. 10, 1966
October 10, 1966


Black rain falls on Detroit, Pennsylvania


Half an inch of black rain fell on the city and its suburbs last night. The rain fell heavily for two hours between 11:00 and 1:00, accompanied with southerly winds [1]. The cause of the black rainstorm is believed to be the Fermi plant, still smoldering from the meltdown and explosion that occurred near Monroe five days ago. Shortly after 11:00 PM, the Fermi plant once again caught fire as rains poured down on the residual sodium left in the core.

Residents woke up to a dark, sticky residue that covered everything - roads, cars, lawns, and trees. Officials say that residents should not touch or taste the substance, nor should they try to clean off surfaces where the residue has accumulated. Residents in Detroit, Downriver, Windsor, and Macomb County have reported that the air has a “metallic” taste and paint was seen peeling off the walls of their homes. [2]

The black rain was not limited to the Detroit area. Unusually heavy rain also fell on northwest Pennsylvania overnight. Over three inches of rain fell on the town of Warren, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles east of Erie [3]. The nearby town of Bradford received similarly high rainfall totals. Not only were rainfall totals heavy, the rains (like those in Detroit) were black in color.


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[1] As attested by OTL weather data from Windsor, Ontario: http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/hourly_data_e.html?timeframe=1&Year=1966&Month=10&Day=9&hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2014-10-02&dlyRange=1940-08-01%7C2014-10-01&mlyRange=1940-01-01%7C2014-10-01&StationID=4716&Prov=ON&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1965&EndYear=1967&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=windsor

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/hourly_data_e.html?timeframe=1&hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2014-10-02&dlyRange=1940-08-01%7C2014-10-01&mlyRange=1940-01-01%7C2014-10-01&StationID=4716&Prov=ON&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1965&EndYear=1967&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=windsor&Year=1966&Month=10&Day=10

[2] As happened in OTL after a rainstorm 3 days after the Chernobyl meltdown: https://www.politico.eu/article/anniversary-chernobyl-poisoned-my-childhood-chernivitz-ukraine-1986-exposure-radiation-thallium/ and http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/Chernobyl-30-years/index.html

[3] This is much heavier than what nearby areas like Pittsburgh and Buffalo received in OTL. For comparison, OTL rainfall on October 9-11, 1966:

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datasets/GHCND/stations/GHCND:USW00094847/detail


Buffalo, NY: 0.47 in (12 mm)

Rochester, NY: 0.35 in (9 mm)

Syracuse, NY: No data

Binghamton, NY: 0.30 in (8 mm)

State College, PA: 0.26 in (7 mm)

Erie, PA: No data

Pittsburgh, PA: 0.58 in (15 mm)

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