the drought began in the great plains in the 13th century.
the drought began in the great plains in the 13th century.
when did the drought began in the great plains?
13th century
the great plains shelterbelt was a project to create windbreaks in the great plains states of the united states, that began in 1934. president franklin d. roosevelt initiated the project in response to the severe dust storms of the dust bowl, which resulted in significant soil erosion and drought. the united states forest service believed that planting trees on the perimeters of farms would reduce wind velocity and lessen evaporation of moisture from the soil. by 1942, 220 million trees had been planted, stretching out in a 100-mile-wide zone from canada to the brazos river. even , "the federal response to the dust bowl, including the prairie states forestry project which planted the great plains shelterbelt and creation of the soil erosion service, represents the largest and most-focused effort of the [u.s.] government to address an environmental problem".
great plains shelterbelt
the drought began gradually, and some sources claim it began as early as 1947, starting with a decrease in rainfall in central texas. by the summer of 1951, the entire state was in drought. texas ranchers attempted to evade the effects of the drought by moving their cattle north to kansas, but the drought spread to kansas and oklahoma by 1953. at that point, 75% of texas recorded below-normal rainfall amounts, and over half the state was more than 30 inches below normal rainfall. by 1954, the drought had affected a 10-state area reaching from the midwest to the great plains, and southward into new mexico and the deep south, where mississippi, alabama, georgia and south carolina all experienced their driest calendar year since reliable records began.
1950s texas drought