People living in Maryland and West Virginia got confused after a mystery white powder started to fall from the skies last week. Videos of the fine white powder coating people’s patio furniture and parked vehicles have gone viral on social media. Apparently, the white powder is now snow.

Authorities have started an investigation into the mysterious “dust sediment” that fell from the sky. However, there have been no confirmed answers. Meanwhile, people on Twitter have come up with their own wild theories.

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Initially, people in the area, where the white powder was found, were urged to stay inside their houses and shut their windows. However, after it was discovered that the substance was harmless, people began scraping it off their belongings. Some commented that the substance is sticky and when cleaned would turn into a liquid. It left a milky residue.

One of the unsubstantiated wild theories that have emerged is that the white powder might have floated in from a nearby dust storm. Others thought it could simply be pollen as the season changes. One person even declared that earth has come up with a whole new season now.

The particles are being analyzed by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and local authorities. A state lab in West Virginia, will test the dust and see whether they match that of the Texas and New Mexico dust storms.

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News of a derecho storm will be approaching the central US states in the coming days. Satellite images also suggest that the unknown dust could have been carried into the area by rapidly blowing winds.

There are those who are claiming that a “small plane” flew over Maryland and dropped the substance. There were some users who theorized that the substance could be a residue from the freight train derailment in Ohio. The train was carrying toxic chemicals when 38 of the carriages derailed. A fire started in 12 or more of the cars. Any correlation between the train accident and the white powder has been denounced by Terry Fletcher, from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.