The Dust Bowl: America's Decade of Darkness | 1930s

The Dust Bowl: America's Decade of Darkness | 1930sWeather With Enthusiasm | Kol Simcha ProductionsEpisode 6 | Tuesday, June 9, 2026EPISODE SUMMARYThe story of the Dust Bowl — the greatest human-caused ecological disaster in American history. This episode covers the decade of drought and dust storms that devastated the Great Plains from 1930 to 1939, with a focus on Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, when a wall of blackness one thousand feet tall and moving at sixty miles per hour swallowed the southern Plains in total darkness in the middle of the afternoon.KEY FACTSDates: 1930–1939 (drought waves: 1930-31, 1934, 1936, 1939-40)Geographic core: Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, southwestern Kansas, southeastern Colorado, northeastern New MexicoAffected area: 100 million acres of Great Plains farmlandTopsoil loss: More than 75% of topsoil lost in most severely affected countiesBLACK SUNDAY — April 14, 1935 (Palm Sunday)- Dust wall: 500–1,000 feet tall, moving at 60 mph- Coverage: 800 miles long, 300–500 miles wide (central Nebraska to Mexican border)- Topsoil displaced: An estimated 300,000 tons- Visibility: Zero for 12–20 minutes across panhandle citiesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Weather with Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions.New episodes drop daily (B'N)— a morning forecast at 7 AM and historical deep dives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact: [email protected] content is thoroughly researched and factually verified. After it has been factually verified it often will say so in the description. Should you find any mistakes, please email [email protected] so we can look into it and correct it. Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha