Wilmington, NC – On the evening of March 2, 1926, residents of Wilmington, North Carolina, witnessed a rare and bizarre weather event—a shower of mud. The phenomenon left a fine, grayish clay residue on buildings and streets across the city, puzzling those who experienced it.
According to reports from the Weather Bureau, the muddy rain affected an area spanning 35 miles north to south and 10 miles east to west, with Wilmington near its center. The rainfall occurred between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., with the most intense period recorded at 9:05 p.m. to 9:10 p.m.
Meteorologists attributed the event to strong northwest winds, which reached 30 mph with gusts up to 48 mph that night. These powerful winds likely carried dust particles from distant regions—possibly the Mississippi River Valley—into rain clouds over North Carolina, mixing the dust with precipitation and creating the muddy downpour.
Although rare, similar occurrences have been reported across the U.S., often linked to dust storms in the Midwest and Great Plains. Today, meteorologists better understand how atmospheric conditions can transport dust over long distances, occasionally turning rain into mud.
While Wilmington’s mud rain of 1926 remains an unusual chapter in North Carolina’s weather history, it serves as a reminder of how powerful winds can influence local conditions in surprising ways.
