June 1st, 2024 | Allan Ray

Hot, Dry Weather Is Not Unprecedented

Kids can't be expected to remember the 1930s.

The 1920s and 30s witnessed an environmental catastrophe that etched itself into American memory: the Dust Bowl. This was a period of severe dust storms primarily affecting the prairies. Before common phrases about climate change and global warming entered our lexicon, droughts and dry spells helped make the Great Depression worse. This all happened before carbon emissions reached modern levels.

While drought played a significant role in the Dust Bowl, it was exacerbated by human actions. The early 20th century saw a surge in wheat demand due to World War I. This, coupled with advancements in farming technology, incentivized farmers to plow under vast swathes of native grasslands, replacing them with wheat fields. The deep-rooted grasses that once anchored the topsoil and retained moisture were gone, leaving the earth vulnerable.

Then came the drought. Beginning around 1934, a severe lack of rainfall gripped the Great Plains. The decade saw the lowest 10-year rainfall average on record for the region. This, combined with unusually high temperatures, baked the exposed topsoil, turning it into fine dust.

The consequences were devastating. Without the anchoring weight of vegetation, powerful winds swept across the plains, lifting millions of tons of topsoil into the air. These "black blizzards" choked the skies, reducing visibility to mere feet. The dust infiltrated everything, burying homes, suffocating livestock, and causing respiratory problems for humans.

The Dust Bowl had a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people. Farmers, already struggling with low crop prices, were forced to abandon their land. The dust storms caused respiratory illnesses and other health problems, while the lack of food and water led to widespread malnutrition and poverty. Families were forced to abandon their farms and livelihoods, becoming refugees in their own country. This mass exodus, documented in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, saw hundreds of thousands of people, dubbed "Okies," migrating westward in search of work and a new life.

Nearly one hundred years after these climate events, we are witnessing multiple similarly dry seasons.

While the Dust Bowl is primarily remembered for its devastating dust storms, wildfires and grass fires did also plague parts of the drought-stricken region throughout the 1930s, exacerbating the already dire situation.

The removal of native grasses, coupled with the parched earth, created a tinderbox across woodlands and prairies. Dried-out crops and abandoned fields provided ample fuel for fires, which were easily ignited by lightning strikes, sparks from machinery, or even human carelessness. Archived news reports from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Kansas describe some fires consuming hundreds of acres of farmland and pastureland.

The Tilamook Burn destroyed more than 350,000 acres in Oregon. The Griffith Park bush fire of 1933 killed 29 people in California. In 1937, a lightning strike lit the dry Shoshone National Forest on fire in 1937, killing 15 firefighters and burning 1,700 acres. Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta was ablaze in 1939.

These wildfires further compounded the Dust Bowl's devastating effects. Some grass fires exacerbated soil erosion, as the burning away of any remaining vegetation left the topsoil even more vulnerable to wind erosion. Adding to the devastation, the smoke from these wildfires likely contributed to the already suffocating dust clouds, creating a hazardous haze that blanketed some regions and posed serious health risks to those exposed.

Accurate statistics on wildfire frequency and severity during the Dust Bowl era are difficult to come by due to limited record-keeping at the time, but historical accounts and newspaper reports clearly demonstrate that wildfires were an overlooked aspect of this environmental catastrophe.

In the 2020s, increased outdoor activities and camping have contributed to more widespread fires during dry conditions. During Alberta's 2023 fire season, it is estimated that more than 60% were caused by human activity. Historical photos of wildfires in Alberta can be viewed here.