UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Water-Supply Paper 680 DROUGHTS OF 1930-34 BY JOHN C. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1936 i'For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 20 cents CONTENTS Page Introduction ________ _________-_--_____-_-__---___-__________ 1 Droughts of 1930 and 1931_____._______________________ 5 Causes_____________________________________________________ 6 Precipitation. ____________________________________________ 6 Temperature ____________-_----_--_-_---___-_-_-_-_---_-_- 11 Wind.._.. _ 11 Effect on ground and surface water____________________________ 11 General effect___________________________________________ 11 Ground water___________________________ _ _____________ _ 22 Surface water___________________________________________ 26 Damage___ _-___---_-_------------__---------___-----_----_ 32 Vegetation.____________________________________________ 32 Domestic and industrial water supplies_____________________ 36 Health____-_--___________--_-_---_-----_-----_-_-_--_.__- 37 Power.______________________________________________ 38 Navigation._-_-----_-_____-_-_-_-_--__--_------_____--___ 39 Recreation and wild life--___--_---__--_-------------_--_-__ 41 Relief - ---- . 41 Drought of 1934__ 46 Causes_ _ ___________________________________________________ 46 Precipitation.____________________________________________ 47 Temperature._____________---_-___----_________-_________ 50 Wind_____________________________________________ 60 Effect on ground and surface water____________________________ 53 General effect-_____-__________----_----__-_-_-______-_____ 53 Ground water___-____-__---_--______-_-______-___-_____ 53 Surface water_______________-__-_-__----__________________ 54 Damage. __ _ _ _ ____--------__ ________ _______ 56 Vegetation.______________________________________________ 56 Domestic and industrial water supplies_____________________ 59 Health__________________________________________ 60 Power.-__--__-_-_---_____---_---_-----_---_- _---________ 61 Navigation.______________________________________________ 61 Recreation and wild life__________________________________ 61 Relief_________________________-__ ___.._______ 62 Comparison of droughts during period 1881 to 1934_________________ 65 Drought and low-water stream flow_________________________________ 69 Carry-over effect as related to drought______________.________________ 70 Alleviation of drought damage._____________________________________ 71 Precipitation diagrams._ _ _______________________________________ 75 Index___________________-___-___-_-_-___--______.______ 105 m ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Precipitation by States for major drought years._____________ 6 FIGURE 1. Drought years, 1881 to 1934__.______________.__ 3 2. Accumulated departures from the mean of the monthly precipi­ tation for the periods of 31 months including the 3 years of lowest precipitation in Virginia_______________________ 10 3. Temperatures, 1930________________________________ 12 4. Temperatures, 1931______:___________________.__ 12 5. Diagrammatic section showing different kinds of discharge of subsurface water.____________________________________ 13 6. Gage-height graph of South Fork of Mills River at The Pink Beds, N. C., showing diurnal and seasonal effect of evapo­ ration and transpiration_______________________________ 19 7. Gage-height graph of Owens Creek at Lantz, Md., June 1-5, 1932, showing effect of transpiration and evaporation on stream flow_---_____________-__--_-______-____---_- 20 8. Discharge graph of Piney Run near Sykesville, Md., showing effect of transpiration, evaporation, and altitude of water table on stream flow_--_--___-_.______________________ 21 9. Fluctuation of water surface of Ross well, Arlington, Va., and precipitation at Washington, D. C., 1928-34_______ 23 10. Fluctuation of water surface of a well, run-off, and precipita­ tion on South Branch of Moose River in New York, 1928- 34______________________.___________________________ 25 11. Rainfall and run-off for combined drainage basins of Tennes­ see and Cumberland Rivers, by months, showing variation between wet and dry years__-__-___-_____-_--_-------- 28 12. Accumulated departures from the average of the monthly discharge of Potomac River at Point of Rocks, Md., and of the precipitation recorded at Westernport and Frederick, Md____--._______________________________ 31 13. Total precipitation for June, July, and August and composite yields of crops per acre, expressed as percentage of average yields, 1930____________ w ____________---- 33 14. Total precipitation for June, July, and August and composite yields of crops per acre, expressed as percentage of average yields, 1931________________.________----- 33 15. Relation of composite yields of crops per acre in 1930 and 1931 to total precipitation in June, July, and August for the 36 humid and semiarid States_--_--__--_-_--------------- 34 16. Areas where Red Cross gave drought relief, August 1930 to June 1931___.._____-________________-___-.-__ 43 ' 17. Temperatures, 1934__________________________________ 51 18. Total precipitation for June, July, and August and composite yields of crops per acre expressed as percentage of average yields, 1934______________________._____ 57 19. Percentage of area having deficiencies in precipitation of 15 percent or more, 1881-1934__________----- 67 ILLUSTRATIONS V Page FIGURE 20. Location of river-measurement stations used to show the re­ lation of drought and stream flow______________________ 70 21. Annual precipitation in Maine, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 ___-__-_--__-_-_-_ 75 22. Annual precipitation in New Hampshire, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931.__--__- 75 23. Annual precipitation in Vermont, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929 to December 193 !__.__. ____________ 76 24. Annual precipitation in Massachusetts, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931_._--__- 76 25. Annual precipitation in Rhode Island, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931__._-_ 77 ' 26. Annual precipitation in Connecticut, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 ______-_-_-__- 77 27. Annual precipitation in New York, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 _______.__.__ 78 28. Annual precipitation in New Jersey, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931__._.----------- 78 29. Annual precipitation in Pennsylvania, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 ______--_-_-___ 79 30. Annual precipitation in Maryland-Delaware, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 ________ 79 31. Annual precipitation in Virginia, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 ____-_-_-___---..-- 80 32. Annual precipitation in North Carolina, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931._--_- __ 80 33. Annual precipitation in South Carolina, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December J.931._-__- 81 34. Annual precipitation in Tennessee, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931-___--_--_--_-_ 81 35. Annual precipitation in Kentucky, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931---_-_--_------- 82 36. Annual precipitation in West Virginia, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931_-____-- 82 37. Annual precipitation in Ohio, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929 to December 1931------------------ 83 38. Annual precipitation in Michigan, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931__._____-__---_- 83 39. Annual precipitation in Indiana, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929 to December 1931----------------- 84 40. Annual precipitation in Illinois, 1878-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931 _______-__----- 84 41. Annual precipitation in Arkansas, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931-.________.__- 85 42. Annual precipitation in Missouri, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931_____--__--_--_ 85 43. Annual precipitation in Iowa, 1873-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929 to December 1931----------_----- 86 44. Annual precipitation in Wis.. nsin, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929to December 1931 _____-__---_--- 86 45. Annual precipitation in Minnesota, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929 to December 1931______________ 87 VI ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 46. Annual precipitation in Florida, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929to December 1931 _______________ 87 47. Annual precipitation in Georgia, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929to December 1931 -___--____-___-___ 88 48. Annual precipitation in Alabama, 1881-1934, and monthly pre­ cipitation, June 1929to December 1931__-_---_____--____ 89 49. Annual precipitation in Mississippi, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929to December 1931-__-_______-..__ 90 50. Annual precipitation in Louisiana, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929to December 1931-________--__-_ 91 51. Annual precipitation in Oklahoma, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929to December 1931 _______________ 92 52. Annual precipitation in Kansas, 1881-1934, and monthly precipitation, June 1929to December 1931__---___-_____- 92 53. Annual precipitation