07/06/2022
"The 1950s Texas drought was a period between 1949 and 1957 in which the state received 30 to 50% less rain than normal, while temperatures rose above average. During this time, Texans experienced the second-, third-, and eighth-driest single years ever in the state – 1956, 1954, and 1951, respectively.
The drought was described by a state water official as "the most costly and one of the most devastating droughts in 600 years."
By 1954, the drought had affected a 10-state area reaching from the Midwest to the Great Plains, and southward into New Mexico and the Deep South, where Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina all experienced their driest calendar year since reliable records began. By the end of the decade, half of the farming industry in Texas was gone.
The city of Dallas' reservoirs ran so low that water had to be pumped from the Red River, whose high salt content caused further trouble by damaging water pipes and plants. Corsicana experienced 82 days of temperatures over 100 °F or 37.8 °C, peaking at 113 °F or 45 °C.
On April 24, 1957, a storm brought 10 inches of rain on a large portion of Texas within a few hours, accompanied by destructive hail and multiple tornadoes. The rain continued for 32 days, and the floods killed 22 people and forced thousands from their homes. Every major river in Texas flooded, washing out bridges and sweeping away houses."
-- Source: San Antonio Express News
Update: I just had my first water well go almost dry since posting this. Spent all yesterday hauling water. Also if any of y'all are interested in butcher calves for the freezer later this year, message for more info.