Black Sunday (storm)

The "Black Sunday" dust storm approaches Spearman in northern Texas, April 14, 1935.
Black Sunday dust storm approaches Stratford, Texas, on April 14th, 1935.
U.S. Weather Bureau, Beaver, OK, April 1935. Notice the mention of dust storms
U.S. Weather Bureau Surface Analysis at 7:00 am CST on April 15, 1935, just after the Black Sunday dust storm

Black Sunday is a particularly severe dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935, as part of the Dust Bowl in the United States.[1] It was one of the worst dust storms in American history and caused immense economic and agricultural damage.[2] It is estimated that 300 thousand tons of topsoil were displaced from the prairie area.[3]

On the afternoon of April 14, residents of several plains states were forced to take cover as a dust storm or "black blizzard" blew through the region. The storm first hit the Oklahoma panhandle and northwestern Oklahoma and moved south for the day.[1] It hit Beaver, Oklahoma around 4 p.m., Boise City around 5:15, and Amarillo, Texas, at 7:20.[1] The conditions were the most severe in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, but the storm's effects were also felt in surrounding areas.[1] Drought, erosion, bare soil, and winds caused the dust to fly freely and at high speeds.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d "The Black Sunday Dust Storm of 14 April 1935". National Weather Service: Norman, Oklahoma Weather Forecast Office. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Black Sunday: April 14, 1935". PBS. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  3. ^ Black Blizzard, History Channel documentary.
  4. ^ "The Dust Bowl Drought". Drought: A Paleo Perspective – 20th Century Drought. Retrieved 24 May 2012.