Storm Cloud

The sky beyond the Dome was dark red and thick like a cosy blanket. Sparks of golden lightning crossed through the clouds. It was raining. The droplets fell like emeralds and trickled down the Dome edge in green stripes.

— Beyond The Dome

Manifestation

Dark red clouds blanket the sky, blocking out any sunlight across the most of the known land. The clouds rain acid, which is toxic to organic material and corrosive for metals. Intense cloud cover keeps temperatures moderate and the light low throughout the year so there are no notable seasonable changes. Some cultures (including the Dome Community, no longer have a concept of night and day because the light does not change.
Periods of low cloud (also known as mist or smog) can last for days and sometimes weeks at a time. The most pivotal being The Great Storm in the early days of recorded history. When the cloud descends, the air turns un-breathable and difficult to see through. Smog vision goggles can help people to see through the storms and vehicles such as the Explorer One have automated mapping technology and sensors to alert the user to any obstacles.

Clouds of red and burnt orange streaked through the brown sky. Amelia smelt the rose-scented air in her respirator and smiled at the beauty of the world.

— Beyond the Dome

Localisation

Toxic Earth: The toxic earth covers a large proportion of the world. Here, once fertile lands have been turned to wastelands and trees poisoned to blackened stumps by acid rainfall. Fused plastic and metal covers most of the ground in a thick layer which covers rivers and lakes and a long way into the ocean. Many miles into the polluted ocean, the plastic breaks apart and the clouds above gradually disperse.
Ancient City: The Ancient civilisations fell because they were unable to win the battle against the climate change this cloud brought. The remains of their cities are now slowly decaying into rubble.
The Dome: This settlement along with the MicroDome are build using advanced technologies that shelter those inside from its effects.

Type

Natural

Related Myths

• There are rumours of people being seen amongst the smog, but are often ascribed as being Ghosts rather than people. See Ghosts, Mutants or Myth? Is there life Beyond The Dome?.

Related Events

• The Great Storm is the greatest known period of low cloud in recorded history. This is when The Founders closed the gates and sealed off The Dome from the outside world.
• When novel protagonist, Amelia, gets stuck in a smog storm, she is able to navigate it by using smog-vision goggles and relying on her hovership’s internal navigation system. See Beyond The Dome Part 3: Amelia is Trapped in a Storm