80 Years Ago Today

Eighty years ago today...on what came to be known as "Black Sunday", a massive dust storm brought devastation to the Southern Plains. This photograph from Chris Johns/National Geographic/Getty Images was taken in Goodwell, Oklahoma.

The worst conditions were in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, where the rolling mass raced toward the south-southwest - accompanied by a massive wall of blowing dust (10,000 feet high) that resembled a land-based tsunami. Winds in the Panhandle reached upwards of 60 MPH, and for at least a brief time, the blackness was so complete that one could not see his or her own hand in front of one's face. The dust storm struck Beaver around 4 PM, Boise City around 5:15 PM, and Amarillo at 7:20 PM.

US National Weather Service Amarillo Texas