1 Kings 18:45 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The heaven was black with clouds and wind— When rain falls in the eastern countries, it is often preceded by a squall of wind; so the ingenious editor of the Ruins of Palmyra tells us, that they seldom have rain there, except at the equinoxes; that nothing could be more serene than the sky all the time they were there, which was about a fortnight in March, except one afternoon, that there was a small shower, preceded by a whirlwind, which took up such quantities of sand from the desert as quite darkened the sky. This circumstance of the wind's taking up such quantities of sand as to darken the sky, may serve to explain the present passage, which describes the heaven as black with wind, as well as clouds; for neither of these circumstances, a squall preceding the rain, or its raising great quantities of dust, is peculiar to desarts. Dr. Russel speaks of both as common at Aleppo, which is at a considerable distance from a desart. The wind's prognosticating rain is also referred to Proverbs 25:14.