With the record warmth last week, something else unusual but not unheard of happened: Dust from other parts of the country impacted the D.C. area.
NASA air pollution and ozone expert Ryan Stauffer said several storms over the past couple of weeks have transported dust from the Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
He said it happened Feb. 16-17, as well as last Thursday into Friday.
He said it was likely to happen again Monday and on Wednesday based on a NASA dust model.
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People also have been posting on social media about volatile organic compounds and officials investigating this matter. Stauffer said he was hoping one of the state EPA agencies would have an explanation by now since it got so much attention.
He also noted a lot of people in the Northeast complained about the smell during the dust events, especially Feb. 17.
