# Gaaaahhh! Termination Dust!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858 "2003-09-20T22:54:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/1 "2003-09-20T22:54:35Z")
Man, I can’t believe it: it’s snowing outside! Big, wet sloppy flakes mixed with rain. The leaves aren’t even off the trees yet! And they’re forecasting 2" up on the Upper Hillside area for tonight! I repeat: **GAAAAHHHHHH!!** ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/2 "2003-09-20T23:16:30Z")
“Termination Dust”?? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/3 "2003-09-20T23:41:56Z")
We got snow to the South, West and North of us in the past week… but somehow it missed us. We got rain despite it being cold. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/4 "2003-09-20T23:53:52Z")
Unreal. It’s 82 degrees out and I’m baking in this house, even in shorts and a tank top. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/5 "2003-09-21T00:28:59Z")
I live in Florida. It was 90 degrees today and I have central air conditioning. I love my life… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/6 "2003-09-21T02:12:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*“Termination Dust”?? 😕 \*\* As in the termination of summer, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/7 "2003-09-21T04:32:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*“Termination Dust”?? 😕 \*\* I don’t think anyone is positive as to the original meaning, but the best guess is that back in the Yukon gold rush, the first snow signaled the end of the prospecting for the year, hence “termination”. It’s common usage here, of course. This afternoon, the clouds lifted and revealed the Chugach Range with a good dusting of snow to an alarmingly low altitude. Nothing stuck here below, since the ground isn’t yet frozen. Hell, we haven’t even had a frost yet. Hopefully, this is just an early fluke and not an indication of a long, hard winter. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/8 "2003-09-21T04:41:46Z")
Shame about that. Here in Atlanta, we’re having some beautiful fall weather. Nice and cool in the evenings. No running the AC 24-7. Ahh, bliss! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/9 "2003-09-21T04:49:42Z")
We’re finally cooling down – highs are down to the upper 80s, lows occasionally dipping into the 60s. The real blessing is that the humidity is below 90%. I keep hearing about it snowing other places and find it hard to reconcile with what’s outside my door! ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/10 "2003-09-21T06:15:12Z")
Thanks for the explanation, **Chefguy.** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/11 "2003-09-21T18:02:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*Thanks for the explanation, **Chefguy.** 🙂 \*\* You’re welcome. Actually, by February the novelty has pretty much worn off and it’s just called either “Six feet of partly cloudy” or &\*%#@!! ---
**Author:** ![Rayn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Rayn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/12 "2003-09-21T18:17:08Z")
Hmm… I thought it always snowed in Alaska? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/13 "2003-09-22T01:11:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rayn \* > \*\*Hmm… I thought it always snowed in Alaska? \*\* Get a grip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaaaahhh-termination-dust/202858/14 "2003-09-22T12:31:21Z")
Alternate explanation: it’s something of a “pink slip” for the seasonal/tourism wokers.