Photo courtesy of Pioneers of Dallas County Facebook page.
While many of us are complaining about the dropping temperatures, here’s a nice reminder of the worst type of hot weather – a six-year drought which plagued Dallas and White Rock Lake.
The drought started in 1951 and ended in 1957. At one point, there were 52 days that the temperature across Dallas County reached 100 degrees or more.
“If I remember correctly the temperature was 110 degrees for 30 days. It was a common sight to see the tar bubble up on those ole country roads as a result of the extreme heat,” said Jim Foster, admin of Pioneers of Dallas County Facebook page.
“The temperature reached 110 degrees on July 12, 1954, which set a record that lasted for almost 30 years. Then on January 18, 1952, a temperature of 83 degrees was recorded which was around 30 degrees above normal,” Foster said.
Graph courtesy of NOAA National Centers for Environmental information.
Dallas became very close to completely running out of water, igniting a fire under city officials’ behinds. They were determined to never come that close to running out of water again, the reason Dallas has so many man-made lakes to draw water from today.
Dallas officials and residents dug and revitalized wells. One was at Buckner and Northwest Highway.
“The locals would bring their buckets and fill up. It was a lot of trouble, but also a matter of survival,” Foster said.
So as you’re clinging to your coats and gloves, remember that it could be sweaty, skin-sticking-to-leather, 110 degrees for 30 straight days hot.
