[Texas Fossil]

1895

That year was not just pulled from some database. Some of my ancestors moved to Haskell County, TX in 1886 but my great-grandfather left in 1895 for 3 years because of a similar extreme drought.

My father is 85 and he experienced the drought in 1952 but has told me he thinks this is worse, and reflected back on what he was told about the 1895 events.

My family has farmed here since 1886. Other of the family members stayed here in the 1895 drought. Crop production is a lot more than rainfall, sunshine and temperatures. The nightime temperatures have a big effect on some crops.

The farmers are always talking about the weather. They are unscientific on a lot of subjects, but know when weather changes.

[Smokin' Joe]

The farmers are always talking about the weather. They are unscientific on a lot of subjects, but know when weather changes.

Yep. I come from a long line of farmers myself (over 300 years where I grew up).

Mine may be limited to a garden, but I pay attention when the locals here talk about the weather--especially my elders, and my wife is from a local family who have been minding the weather longer than mine.

[SW6906]

And here in the Seattle area, we had snowfall in late April, predicted (but didn't happen) snow in early May and still have (IIRC) a record snowpack in the mountains. People are commenting frequently about how they can still see significant snow in the mountains and this is JUNE!

So my observations would point in the opposite of yours.....