Weekly commute to blame for lousy weekend weather?

J’ever notice how the weather goes through cycles where it’s bright and sunny all week and then, just in time for the weekend, it turns cloudy and rainy…and then bright and sunny again just in time to go back to work on Monday?

A colleague of mine said she ‘read somewhere’ that this is not just a fluke. It seems that automobile emissions build up during the week (from all those commuters going to and from work) and by the time the weekend comes around, there’s so much ‘stuff’ in the atmosphere, it causes it to rain. Then, with fewer cars on the roads on weekends, the atmosphere has a chance to purge those nasty gasses and thus the weather clears up. Any truth to this?

Yes, I read this, too. Apparently the study was done using one of the Indiana suburbs of Chicago (Gary?). I don’t remember who/what/when about the study, but I’m hoping that last tidbit might stir someone’s memory.