The Dust Bowl in the county drought record

In the county record, 1934 is the Dust Bowl's worst year, with 37.1% of counties in severe drought on average and 52.2% at the peak in July 1934. 17 of the longest county droughts on record began in those years.

Year by year

Year pages for the worst drought years carry a county replay of the drought.

Share of counties in severe drought, percent

The Dust Bowl years

1928	2.0	0.3	January 1928	4.5
1929	2.7	0.7	November 1929	4.7
1930	17.1	8.0	December 1930	35.9
1931	32.5	18.4	February 1931	41.5
1932	7.6	1.9	February 1932	12.1
1933	9.0	2.6	December 1933	28.5
1934	37.1	23.1	July 1934	52.2
1935	15.2	7.4	January 1935	29.9
1936	20.5	9.3	August 1936	45.2
1937	12.6	6.2	September 1937	15.0
1938	6.8	2.1	January 1938	11.3
1939	14.1	4.6	December 1939	34.5
1940	18.9	6.4	January 1940	38.1
1941	16.6	5.3	May 1941	25.9
1942	6.9	1.9	January 1942	16.4

The longest county droughts of the era

Longest droughts beginning 1929 to 1941

Nuckolls County	NE	96	June 1933	May 1941
Webster County	NE	89	June 1933	October 1940
Jefferson County	MT	84	May 1931	April 1938
Perkins County	SD	71	April 1934	February 1940
Buffalo County	NE	69	June 1936	February 1942
Adams County	NE	63	March 1936	May 1941
Clay County	NE	63	March 1936	May 1941
Hall County	NE	63	June 1936	August 1941
Merrick County	NE	63	June 1936	August 1941
Cass County	NE	62	July 1936	August 1941
Otoe County	NE	62	July 1936	August 1941
Kearney County	NE	61	March 1936	March 1941
Phelps County	NE	61	March 1936	March 1941
Custer County	NE	60	July 1936	June 1941
Dawson County	NE	60	July 1936	June 1941
Silver Bow County	MT	59	June 1933	April 1938
Gosper County	NE	58	June 1936	March 1941