KANSAS CITY - 90 years ago on this week was the worst dust storm in Wichita history; it took place on Palm Sunday, and the storm came to be referred to as "Black Sunday".
A cold front dropped south across the Central Plains that day, resulting in a massive dust storm bringing visibilities down to near zero, and total darkness in the middle of the day. Dust storms were common during the 1930s in the Great Plains, especially during the early and middle part of the decade; this period in history was known as the Dust Bowl era.
The dust storms were caused by a drought during the '30s, and by the way land was plowed back then. For many years, deep plowing eventually left the land with little top soil. With natural grasses no longer in place, there was nothing left to anchor the soil, which had turned to dust during the drought; whenever the winds would howl, the loose dust would be lifted into the air resulting in dust storms.
The black blizzard originated on April 14th across central Nebraska in the mid-morning hours, racing south for 800 miles to near the Mexican border the following day; at times, it was about 400 miles wide.
On April 14th at about 4:00 in the afternoon, a great black dust cloud came in from the north; in Dodge City, it was estimated at 550 feet in height, and moving at a rate of about 55 miles per hour. The instant it struck almost total darkness set in. In Wichita, visibilities were near-zero, and winds were 35-to-50 miles per hour from the north-northeast. The following is a quote from the Weather Bureau logs in Dodge City: “The onrushing cloud, the darkness, and the thick, choking dirt, made this storm one of terror and the worst, while it lasted, ever known here.”
Some observers had seen hundreds of birds, geese, ducks and other kinds flying in front of the dust cloud. A number of dead small birds were found on the ground after the storm.
It's estimated that 600 million pounds of topsoil were displaced from the prairie area that day.
The Red Cross established a relief setup for dust sufferers in Kansas. According to Red Cross officials, 17 deaths had been reported in Kansas from dust pneumonia, and three people died from dust suffocation. Dust pneumonia resulted when lungs were filled with dust; symptoms included a high fever, chest pains, coughing and breathing difficulties.
More than a half million people were left homeless as a result of the Dust Bowl era. Farm families lost their land and homes because of the barren land. As many as 2.5 million people had migrated from the Great Plains by 1940. The rains eventually returned and farming practices were improved.