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<br />
<br />more frequent and damaging than at any
<br />time this year,
<br />Moderate to severe dust began in Baca
<br />County on the 3d and southerly winds spread
<br />the dust throughout extreme eastern counties
<br />east of the I03d meridian on the 4th and 5th,
<br />In this region, brisk winds distributed con-
<br />siderable dust from 6 a, m, to 6 p. m., reducing
<br />the visibility to 100 feet for 12 hours:in Huon
<br />County and to two to three miles as far north
<br />as Kit Carson County.
<br />Slight damage was caused to fields by a
<br />moderate intermittent duster in Baca:County
<br />on the 6th.
<br />During the late afternoon of the 9th, strong
<br />northerly winds disturbed the topsoil through-
<br />out eastern countiesj reducing the visibility
<br />to a quarter mile in Arapahoe and Kit Carson
<br />counties, to one-half mile in Elbert and
<br />Lincoln counties, and to zero in Baca ,County
<br />where a very severe black duster continued
<br />through the night, * * *
<br />Strong northerly and northwesterly winds
<br />caused violent dust clouds in .Prowers and
<br />Baca counties, during the early evening and
<br />night of the 10th, reducing the visibility to 50
<br />feet at times and causirig some dronage to
<br />vegetation.
<br />On the 11th, * * * strong southerly
<br />.winds caused a severe dust storm of short du-
<br />ration in Baca and parts of Prowers counties.
<br />, On the 15th, southerly winds of gale force
<br />extended throughout the State and dust of
<br />varying intensity was reported from ;a11 sec-
<br />tions. In extreme southeastern counties, the
<br />
<br />storm was intense for four hours, reducing
<br />, the visibility to 50 feet, * * *
<br />Scattered showers, after the middle of the
<br />month, relieved appreciably the drought situa-
<br />tion, and dust storms were confined to extreme
<br />southeastern counties on the 16th, 17th, 20th;
<br />21st, 24th,. and 25th, The visibility was
<br />reduced to 50 feet to 500 feet on -each of. these
<br />days and living conditions were rendered
<br />uncomfortable for an average of five hours
<br />each day.
<br />Conditions similar to those described are
<br />common during the early spring but, except
<br />for an occasional blow, seldom extend into
<br />the summer as they did in 1939.
<br />Sudden and wide variations in tempera-
<br />ture are common, Temperature data at
<br />Two Buttes show a high of 1110 F. during the
<br />summer and a low of - 260 in the winter. The
<br />mean annual temperature is 53.60. The.
<br />summers are characterized by hot daJrs and
<br />cool, breezy nights. The. hot, winds during
<br />this period often do great damage to growing
<br />crops, The winters are usually moderate,
<br />but there are occasional severe cold spells
<br />of short duration. Hail storms are infrequent
<br />and usually local. Blizzards, or I'northers,"
<br />are serious hazards to livestock where proper
<br />protection is not afforded,
<br />The average length of growing season at
<br />Two Buttes is 164 days. The average date of
<br />the latest ,killing frost is M&y 2, and of the
<br />earliest in the autumn October 13, The
<br />latest killing frost on record is June 2, and the
<br />earliest in the fall September 17,
<br />
<br />TA8LE 6.-Normal and wtreme monthly, seasonal, and annual temperature and precipitation at
<br />Two Buttes, Baca County, Colo,1 \
<br />
<br />[Elevation, 4,076 feet]
<br />
<br /> 'l'emperature (44-yeal' record) Precipitation (46-year record)
<br /> \
<br /> Montl1 Absolute Absolute Greatest Average'
<br /> Greatest Least on Jnany ~~Kf l';i~~~ s~o~~:fie,
<br /> ME!an maxi- mini. Mean on record record 24-hour
<br /> mum mum 'period ~ ormore3
<br /> -~~- - - - --~- --- -- - --
<br /> OF. olJ'< 'F. Inches Inchea Inches Inches Number Inches
<br />December____"_____________~_ 32,7, 83 -18 0.57 2.31 0.00 \. 0,87 2 3,1
<br />JRnuary _ ____nn__n_____n__ 31.6 80 -20 .32 1.17 .00 I,U 2 2.6
<br />February _ _ _ u _ "____n__.h_n 33,7 78 -26 .58 2,21 ,00 1.28 3 4,8
<br /> - -- - --- - - - --
<br />Winter______n___u____ 32.7 83 -26 1.47 3.87 .21 1.28 7 10,5
<br /> --- -- -- -- -- -
<br />Marohu_________________c____ 42,8 " -16 .75 3.64 ('J 1.08 3 3.4
<br />tli~~--~== = === = === ============= 51.9 " 10 1.56 6.31 ,00 1.53 6 2.1
<br />61.3 100 14 2.12 6.08 .16 1.35 6 .2
<br /> --- --- - - - - - - -
<br />Springn__ _._____u____ 52,0 100 -16 4,43 9,22 ," 1.53 14 6,'
<br /> - - - - - -- -- - -
<br />June__ .. ------ .__nu__ 71.4 110 81 2.01 8,05 ,16 2,56 6 .0
<br />Julyu _________"" ____u_ 77.4 11l 40 2.23 8,56 .16 1.44 6 ,0
<br />August._ ________uu ___u__ 75,6 111 39 1.74 6.63 ,02 1.22 6 .0
<br /> - - - - - - --- -
<br />Summer___ ____unu__ 74,8 11l 31 5,98 14,57 1.58 2.66 16 .0
<br /> - - - - -- --- --- ---- --
<br />September _____n__u________ 67,8 105,1' 27 1.41 5,42 ('J 3,20 3 .3
<br />October__ __nuu________ 65,4 " -2 .78 3,94 .00 2,25 3 .3
<br />November___ ""____nnn_" 42,4 86 -8 .48 1.97 .00 .75 2 2.0
<br /> - - - - - - - - -
<br />FaIL___ _____n_"__nn 55,2 106 -8 2,67 9,25 ('J 3.20 8 2.6
<br /> - -- - -- --- -- - --
<br />Yearn --------- ---un 53,7 11l -26 14,55 31.46 8,38 3.20 48 18,8
<br />
<br />I From U, S, Weather Buroau reports. Record before September 1911 from Blaine (Cormedy Minneapolis), 6 mnes.soutb.
<br />east of Two Buttes,
<br />2 13.year record. 3 41-year record. (44-ye'ar record, 3 Less tban O.Q1lnch.
<br />
<br />38
<br />
<br />Physical Land Conditions in the
<br />
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