THE 1957 DROUGHT IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

Authors:
  • JMJAMES K. McGUIRE
    JAMES K. McGUIRE
  • WPWayne C. Palmer
    Wayne C. Palmer
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Abstract
Various aspects of the Eastern United States drought of 1957 are discussed and some of the pertinent data are tabulated and summarized. These include amount of the summer rainfall, a derived and experimental measure of “moisture adequacy,” and the 5-month percentage of long-term mean precipitation—by climatological divisions insofar as possible. Some of the unusual and record-breaking aspects of the weather during the spring and summer are listed and monthly precipitation reports from 113 selected points from Virginia to Maine are tabulated. In addition actual measurements of soil moisture are tabulated for a number of locations. The worst of the moisture deficiency occurred in the coastal strip from inner Cape Cod to the Virginia Capes, a conclusion borne out by summaries of the streamflow and ground-water measurements of the Geological Survey as well as by the crop condition reports of the Agricultural Marketing Service.