UPDATE: 'Milky Rain' Not Volcanic Ash, Says Researcher

First, Loyd explained, hurricane-force winds whipped across the Summer Lake region in south central Oregon, "lofting dry, light-colored sands and soils into the air."

Next, strong southerly winds transported the sand and soil particles northward.

"Had the winds not been so strong or constant, the dust plume would have dispersed before it got [to Washington]," said Loyd. "As it was, it was able to travel a large distance in less than 12 hours."

In the midst of a northbound rainstorm from the Pacific, Washington residents didn't even notice when the dust arrived, as it was immediately caught in falling raindrops to create the phenomenon that had captured the West Coast's attention last week. That storm eventually moved onward towards Oregon, carrying what remained of the dust with it - and speckling car hoods with mystery in the process.

"It was an unusual convergence of weather factors that set up the event," Loyd concluded.

Still, it should be said that while this is likely the most convincing and thought-out theory yet, it will take chemical analyses of the "milky rain" to show what really happened once and for all.

Who knows? Maybe it was actually raining milk! I can't wait for the cookie hail next.

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