Explanation for "Stinging Rain"??

First thread post here on ATS, so please bear with me and if this is in the incorrect forum, Mods please feel free to shunt it wherever you deem it most appropriate.

This is going to begin with a bit of a story. Then I hope to lead into a possible explanation ( albiet without a shred of proof ) and hopefully some other people that have noticed the same "phenomenon".

After the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the resultant fiasco at Fukishima, I have been concerned about the amount of radioactive particles that are coming straight from Japan to my area here in the US. See, I live in the Seattle area, and from watching the daily tradewinds across the Pacific, I knew that we were going to catch it here in the Seattle area. Heck, the whole West Coast actually.

For those that do not know, the Seattle area is known as a very rainy area of the US. Within 50 miles of Seattle ( straight West of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula ) is the Hoh Rainforest which averages 12 FEET of rain a year. Yes, 144" of rain yearly.

en.wikipedia.org...

Seattle is not quite so wet, but we do get our fair share of rain, and alot of days where it is just plain drizzly/misty out.

Starting in late March, I had noticed that whenever I was outside in the rain, that the rain on my bare skin was sort of "stingy". Having lived in this area my whole life, and been in the rain plenty of times, this was a bit of a scare for me, as I figured that the only thing that could be causing it was the rain washing the radioactive isotopes out of the atmosphere. I have since stopped going out in the rain without an umbrella, and am careful of any areas that would tend to collect water.

Also, not long after March, there was a Huey helicopter that was flying very low in a patterned way around the area. I did some digging and came up with these stories which show the chopper I saw.

www.king5.com...
seattletimes.nwsource.com...

Now why would they be interested in measuring the radioactivity AFTER the area had already been irradiated more? Yes I know the "story" is that they wanted to get a baseline so that if something like that happened locally, they would know where they were starting from. I think they were establishing as much of a baseline as they could so that if they needed too they could see how much it had gone "up" over the next few years from the direct effects of Fukishima.

Here is my question to you folks, especially those of you in the greater PNW, and even elsewhere in the Northern US and Canada. Have you felt the same stinging rain? It has started to turn rainy again ( our 2 months of sun are gone ) and I am still feeling it when I make the mistake of being out in the rain without my arms covered. Do you think I am off my rocker? I know my family looks at me a lil funny, and my wife tolerates my ideas and goes along with them to keep the "peace", but I really think that we are getting snowed big time on this one.

Thank you for your time.

Danno

Bump.

I have known stinging rain to refer to high winds and getting pelted with fast moving rain drops, but not as you describe. This has me worried though... I feel like we need to know exactly what's going on with Fukushima on daily basis so we can plan or react accordingly.

Q: Does it burn at all? Or leave lasting marks on your skin? Do you feel sick otherwise after a rain storm?

Originally posted by Jason88
Bump.

I have known stinging rain to refer to high winds and getting pelted with fast moving rain drops, but not as you describe. This has me worried though... I feel like we need to know exactly what's going on with Fukushima on daily basis so we can plan or react accordingly.

Q: Does it burn at all? Or leave lasting marks on your skin? Do you feel sick otherwise after a rain storm?

edit on 4-10-2011 by Jason88 because: (no reason given)

Definately no high wind/cold rain scenarios here. Even just if it is just mist I can feel it.

No burn, and nothing lasting. No red marks or itchy or anything like that. And sick is a relative term hahaha but I have noticed that this year alot of people in this area seem to be more prone to being queasy sick. But it comes and goes, which from what I have read about radiation sickness would not be the case. So I do not honestly know.

Danno

reply to post by MoparDanno


Glad to hear it's not leaving a mark or otherwise affecting you. But then again, you live there, and have lived there your whole life, so you would know if something were wrong with the rain. Maybe someone from the Northwest will jump in...

Originally posted by Jason88
reply to post by MoparDanno

 

Glad to hear it's not leaving a mark or otherwise affecting you. But then again, you live there, and have lived there your whole life, so you would know if something were wrong with the rain. Maybe someone from the Northwest will jump in...

I'm from the NW but we haven't gotten any rain yet this year so I can't really validate. However, the OP might want to see a dermatologist. There are some skin conditions that make you sensitive to cold water.

I have seen rain drops form around small hail that fits the stinging rain part.

Because the rain drops soften the hail to a point it breaks up on impact and the ice part is hard to see due to the water content.

reply to post by Jason88


Thats exactly what I am hoping. That someone from this area will read this and go "hey! And I thought I was crazy for thinking that!"

Thanks for the input

Danno

reply to post by Cuervo


Hmm, hadn't thought about the dermatologist thing. Although I was in the rain plenty earlier in the year ( jan-early mar ) and never had this concern.

You must be on the East side of the Cascades if you havent gotten any rain yet

Danno

reply to post by ANNED


Once or twice I would agree, but not dozens of times where that kind of weather is abnormal for this area. Good call though!

Danno

You should treat all rain as radiologically contaminated. On the west coast of the US, DOUBLY so. Until the Fukushima contamination is stopped (good luck waiting for that) and even months afterward, rain will be extremely unsafe.

Just another corporation destroying everything. When are people going to rise up and stop this... when...

reply to post by MoparDanno


I live in Iowa and back in the spring I had unusual experience as well. It was very windy and unusually rainy last spring. A few days after the Nuclear disaster I noticed every time it rained and I went outside I would get a very severe sore throat. At times it would get so bad I could barely breath. During one storm I had to cover my face and breathe through a cloth inside my home. Right after the rain when I went outside without a jacket my skin would feel like bees stinging me. A few times I thought an insect had gotten in my clothes and was stinging me. When I would remove my clothes there was nothing there. I began to notice in places on my skin where it was stinging so bad there appeared to be small red spots that looked like burns. Once the rainy season and storms quit for the summer the symptoms went away as well. Only now occasionally after a storm I will still get a severe sore throat. However I am a little apprehensive what this winter will bring when all the bad weather and snow begins. I remember telling different people about this in person and on ATS and being told I was just being paranoid. Which wasn't the case at all. I am still concerned about the radiation in the atmosphere and try to stay indoors much more and still try to watch what I eat. So my alleged paranoia hasn't gone away. The only thing that has changed is it has been very dry and the storms are now gone.

reply to post by Observer99



I have looked for measurements of radioactivity in this area, but have been unable to find anything that seemed trustworthy or without an adgenda. I do agree about the rain however. It is going to continue to "wash" the air of the free floating radioactives that are floating around in the atmosphere.

When? When people are willing to take off the shackles. Thats when. Until that point, the masses are enslaved to DWTS, American Idol, and whatever the heck Hilton/Lohan/Kardashian are exposing at the minute...

Danno

Rain that is very cold or moving quickly can most definitely sting. I've had some that felt like shards of glass being thrown at me. If the rain was radioactive enough to sting your skin it would burn through the umbrella or cause some sort of reaction in the flora/fauna where you live. Since there is background radiation nearly everywhere due to certain atomic testing all rain contains some form of mild radiation.

reply to post by redrose123


WOW!

Thank you for that. So in the midwest you are seening/feeling this same effect? Even more so in some ways it seems. Maybe some of us are just more susceptible to it than others?

Ok thats one we aren't alone. hahaha

Danno

reply to post by Celestica



It might have been very cold rain, but the ground temps weren't that cold ( which I know means that it does not rule out that the upper air temps could be quite cold! ) but this was definately not a "hard" rain. Small drops, almost mist. I am very familiar with the large cold drops type of rain. Remember, I've lived in the Seattle area my whole life ( 40 years ) so I have had just a bit of experience with rain

And if it was radioactive enough to sting, it would be radioactive enough to melt through an umbrella? I am curious as to how you came to that conclusion. Skin is much more sensitive than thin plastic/nylon would be. Melting also implies heat, IE burns to the skin ( red spots ) which I do not exhibit. Radioactivity, from what I know about it, would react with living tissue in ways that it never could with inanimate objects.

I guess the only way to be objective about this is for me to pony up for a Gieger counter....

Danno

Originally posted by MoparDanno
reply to post by Celestica

 

It might have been very cold rain, but the ground temps weren't that cold ( which I know means that it does not rule out that the upper air temps could be quite cold!

) but this was definately not a "hard" rain. Small drops, almost mist. I am very familiar with the large cold drops type of rain. Remember, I've lived in the Seattle area my whole life ( 40 years ) so I have had just a bit of experience with rain

And if it was radioactive enough to sting, it would be radioactive enough to melt through an umbrella? I am curious as to how you came to that conclusion. Skin is much more sensitive than thin plastic/nylon would be. Melting also implies heat, IE burns to the skin ( red spots ) which I do not exhibit. Radioactivity, from what I know about it, would react with living tissue in ways that it never could with inanimate objects.

I guess the only way to be objective about this is for me to pony up for a Gieger counter....

Danno

I guess I was a little too quick with my reply. You do present a good point - although like I said the flora and fauna in the area would be affected too. The plants would wilt or die - I would say the animals would seek shelter and hide but animals kinda do that when it rains anyway.

I also live in the Seattle, WA area and my patio furniture paint looks like it oxidized off starting in spring. It's clearly the radiation in the rain.

www.youtube.com...

Finnish nuclear scientists says ionized radiation creates a direct path from highly charged particles in the Van Allen belt straight to the Earth, the radiation damage to you is from you being a conductor....via the Ionized Radiation.

He says countries created "HAARP" technology which is just radio towers to push up on the upper atmosphere to steer Ionized Radiation from cities.

Buy a geiger counter. Hold it up and get a reading. Now get close to the ground and aim it at the ground. Notice it's higher? The Ionized Radiation in the atmosphere washed into the ground from the rain.

Get the heck out of Washington State. My wife's cousin had all her hair fall out. She's in Seattle. 20 years old.

reply to post by curiouswa



Well I wouldn't exactly go that far? I mean paint oxidizes around here all the time, no need to blame it on the radiation

But who knows, it might have an accelerating effect on painted surfaces. I haven't noticed it on anything that I have that is outside and painted, but it might depend on the paint type too.

Danno

reply to post by Pervius



Hmm....

So if this was the case, then anyone anywhere would be at hugely hightened risk for radiation exposure right? Not just specifically the Seattle area/West Coast.

Also, from what I know of radiation, the ground is always going to have a higher reading of radioactives than the air, as its pretty hard for radiation to pool and collect in the air. Where pooling and collecting on the ground is a definate possibility.

Has your wifes cousins hair falling out been directly linked to environmental reasons? If so that is quite alarming. Is she someone who spends alot of time outdoors?

Danno