The date was October 23, 2022. I remember it like it was only a couple of weeks ago. The day started out warm. By 8 AM the temperature had already reached 70 degrees. The sunrise that lit up the sky was red and beautiful. I should have remembered my weather prose:
Red sky at night, sailors delight!
Red sky at morn, sailors be warned!
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| That red warning! |
I snapped a picture of the deep red sky on my way to church. I have seen many a red sky but this one should have given me pause. The beautiful morning was preceding something. For once the weather forecast was right.
By noon the wind had started to pick up. Being as dry as it is in southwest Kansas the wind began to kick up a lot of dust. It reminded me of the pictures of the "dirty thirties" during the "dust bowl". I walked around outside and took some pictures.
The grey skies were not due to clouds. Above the dust the sky was blue. My daughter and I walked around, coughing and sneezing due to all the dust in the air. Wind gusts did get up over 70 MPH that afternoon, with sustained winds over 40.
The winds did die down shortly after dark. There was a light coating of dust everywhere, but nothing compared to what the Kansas residents of the 1930's endured. Sometimes it takes a day of dust to remind us of the things others have overcome.
A new set of Thirties is coming in a few years. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.
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