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 refers to a particularly severe dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935 as part of the Dust Bowl in the United States. It was one of the worst dust storms in American history and it caused immense economic and agricultural damage. It is estimated to have displaced 300 thousand tons of topsoil from the prairie area.

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 hit the Oklahoma panhandle and northwestern Oklahoma first, and moved south for the remainder of the day. It hit Beaver, Oklahoma around 4 p.m., Boise City around 5:15, and Amarillo, Texas at 7:20. The conditions were the most severe in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, but the storm's effects were also felt in other surrounding areas. The combination of drought, erosion, bare soil, and winds caused the dust to fly freely and at high speeds.

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