Tue, Oct 10, 2023
Winter/Spring 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Winter/Spring 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Thu, Apr 27, 2023
Summer/Fall 2023 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2023 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2023
December Caps 2022 Rain Record December provided a fitting end to Oklahoma’s tumultuous 2022 weather story. This final chapter came complete with a half-dozen tornadoes,… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2022
October Drought Relief Mixed Drought held on through October in Oklahoma for the fifteenth consecutive month, its roots dating back to August 2021 and… Read More »
Tue, Oct 11, 2022
Winter/Spring 2023 Mesonet OK-First Classes Winter/Spring 2023 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Mon, Oct 03, 2022
September Continues Dry Dusty Weather Drought surged across Oklahoma as the driest September since 1956 took its toll on the state’s landscape. The amount of… Read More »
Wed, Aug 17, 2022
Fall 2022 OK-FIRE Classes Free training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2022
July Heat Punishes Oklahoma The seemingly impenetrable heat wave and dry spell that had punished Oklahoma since early June continued through nearly all of… Read More »
Fri, Jul 01, 2022
June Teases Several Seasons June managed to pack pieces of three seasons into a single month. The first 10 days were quite springlike, with… Read More »
Wed, Jun 01, 2022
May Rains Dent Drought May’s reputation as Oklahoma’s most prolific severe weather month was confirmed within the first week with as many as… Read More »
Mon, May 02, 2022
April Winds Highest in Mesonet Era Opinions on Oklahoma’s weather are often more variable than the weather itself. Some Oklahomans will look back on April… Read More »
Wed, Apr 13, 2022
Summer/Fall 2022 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2022 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Fri, Apr 01, 2022
Variety Describes March Weather March’s weather ran the gamut of nearly all the hazards Oklahoma has to offer, befitting a seasonal transition month in… Read More »
Tue, Mar 01, 2022
Wintry Weather Rules February Three impactful winter storms struck Oklahoma during February, snarling traffic on state highways, bringing down power lines, and forcing… Read More »
Tue, Feb 01, 2022
Winter Arrives In January Winter arrived with conviction at the dawn of the new year in Oklahoma and delivered a startling counterpunch to the… Read More »
Tue, Jan 04, 2022
December Shatters Temperature Record In what could best be described as a climatological anomaly on steroids, Oklahoma soared to its warmest December on… Read More »
Wed, Dec 01, 2021
November Caps Off Warm, Dry Fall An extended pattern of warm, dry weather exacerbated drought conditions during November. Drought impacts, including fire danger and soil… Read More »
Thu, Nov 18, 2021
Spring 2022 Mesonet OK-First Classes Spring 2022 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix of… Read More »
Mon, Nov 01, 2021
October Sets Tornado Record Oklahomans are growing accustomed to Mother Nature’s October weather shenanigans following a snowstorm of up to 13 inches in… Read More »
Tue, Oct 05, 2021
Fall 2021 OK-FIRE Classes Free training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision… Read More »
Tue, Apr 13, 2010
That Sunday 75 years ago in the Oklahoma Panhandle began magnificently with bright sunshine, calm winds and plenty of spring warmth. Area residents, so burdened by incessant dust that month, enjoyed the reprieve by flocking outdoors. Picnics, car rides and odd jobs around the farm were tackled with a renewed vigor. The region had suffered a significant dust storm just four days previous on the 10th. It was as if the "Dust Gods," a term used by locals during that period to embody the evil force behind their plight, had averted their gaze from the beleaguered populace. The respite would prove to be short-lived, however, and the calm was soon replaced with the violence of the worst "duster" of the Dust Bowl drought. The date was April 14, 1935, and will be forever remembered as "Black Sunday."
Unlike the sand blows that occurred with the sirocco-like winds from the southwest, the Black Sunday event was one of the less frequent but more dramatic storms borne south on polar air originating in Canada. Rising some 8000 feet into the air, these churning walls of dirt generated massive amounts of static electricity, complete with their own thunder and lightning. Reports of the storm indicate that the cold air from the "Norther" struck first, with the wall of dust following soon thereafter. Temperatures plunged 40 degrees along the storm front before the dust hit. Mr. Ralph H. Guy, National Weather Service cooperative observer in Kenton, Oklahoma, noted about the storm:
"Severe dust storm hit at 4:20 p.m., turning afternoon brightness immediately into midnight darkness, and absolutely zero visibility. It was totally dark and impossible to see without searchlight, for at least 15 minutes...the storm came from the north and northeast and traveled at a very great speed."
Many area residents were caught unaware by this unique storm, remembered by locals at the time as one of only three in living memory that appeared to "roll" as it approached. Those caught out in the open were forced to crawl on hands and knees in search of shelter in the impenetrable darkness, literally unable to see their hands in front of their faces. Cars stalled and stopped in the choking dust, and many thought the end of the world had come.
Associated Press reporter Robert Geiger and photographer Harry Eisenhand were caught 6 miles north of Boise City, Oklahoma. The dust cloud enveloped their car as they raced at 60 miles an hour in an attempt to outrun it. The trip the rest of the way into Boise City took over two hours as they drove with the door open so they could see the edge of the highway. A newspaper report by Geiger the following day would give the era its name, a term eventually used as a measuring stick for the severity of every drought thereafter.
In that report, Geiger wrote:
"Three little words — achingly familiar on a western farmer's tongue — rule life today in the dust bowl of the continent ... 'if it rains.'"
Some survivors claim the term "dust bowl" had been used by locals prior to Geiger's reports, an amalgam of the dust they were suffering and a soup bowl, which was a familiar item due to the prevalence of Depression-era soup kitchen lines. Nevertheless, the popularized term soon spread both nationally and internationally.
Black Sunday storm seemed to mark the peak of the dust storms across the region, although the dust would not stop with that most violent of storms. Several stations in the Oklahoma panhandle reported moderate to heavy dust on 20 days during the month, and light dust on other days. Other areas of Oklahoma were not immune to the dust. The Oklahoma City Airport station noted dust on 18 days during the month.
Black Sunday marked the turning point in the Federal Government's recognition of the soil erosion occurring in the Dust Bowl region, labeling it a "national menace." Hugh Bennett, considered the father of the soil conservation movement, had long tried to draw attention to the farmer's plight. Up to that point, he had been largely ignored, and the Dust Bowl was seen in the nation's capitol as just another facet of the depression. Already scheduled to deliver an address to Congress concerning the matter, he heard tales of the massive Black Sunday storm, spreading its dust towards the east. He stalled his report until the dust settled over Washington D.C. Upon its arrival, many of the Congressmen were horrified at the fine, powdery sand choking their throats and scratching their eyes. Using the moment to full effect, Bennett proclaimed "This, gentlemen, is what I've been talking about." On April 27th, 1935, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was created, and placed under the control of Bennett.
A boiling cloud of dust approaches Stratford, Texas. Photo courtesy of NOAA Photo Library, George E. Marsh album.
To read more on the Dust Bowl, please see the Oklahoma Climatological Survey's "Summer 2004" edition of its seasonal summary series Oklahoma Climate:
http://climate.ok.gov/index.php/climate/seasonal_summaries/reports_summaries
Or visit the Norman National Weather Service office's webpage at:
https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-19350414
And the Dodge City National Weather Service office's webpage at:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=ddc&storyid=50702&source=0