Mystery Black Rain Hits Michigan Town

A city in Michigan is perplexed after a a tar-like substance has rained down on their cars, porches and driveways this week.

The black, oily substance first appeared on at least six driveways in Harrison Township on Sunday, and days later, what the material is still remains a mystery.

The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports gunk was found Sunday in parts of Macomb County’s Harrison Township, apparently after falling from above. WXYZ-TV reported residents were told that the tar-like substance doesn’t appear to be harmful.

“It appears to have fallen straight down,” Harrison Township Fire Department Chief Michael Lopez told ABC News.

Paul Schlutow says he first thought it was from birds, but it appeared too oily. It covered his pickup and dotted his driveway. He suspects it’s from aircraft.

The affected area is near Selfridge Air National Guard Base. But in a statement Wednesday, the base says there’s no evidence so far that the substance came from military aircraft.

There are a few possibilities for what could have caused the gunk to fall from the sky. Bad weather like tornados or storms have been known to carry everything from golf balls to mud long distances only to deposit them on unsuspecting and unfortunate heads.It could be animals. One resident noted that it did look like bird excrament, and it wouldn’t be the first time that birds have deposited unwelcome presents on people. In addition to their normal droppings, last year, seagulls dropped lampreys on an unsuspecting Alaskan town. Although right now, the sheer volume of the splatter would seem to rule out birds as the culprits.

It could also be from an airplane. The neighborhood is very close to Selfridge Air National Guard Base but officials at the base looked over the matter and said that there was no way the substance came from their planes.

References:

popsci.com

dailymail.co.uk