“Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain” was a popular saying in Boston during the Milwaukee Braves’ 1948 pennant race, a quip about their not-so-deep pitching staff and a nod to future Hall of Fame Warren Spahn and 24-game winner Johnny Sain.
In the summer of 1966, farmers and residents in the greater Washington region were certainly praying for rain as the entire area experienced one of the region's worst droughts.
Although droughts usually don’t receive the same level of attention as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, they do take their tolls. In the first half of the 1960s, drought conditions parched farms and lawns in the Northeastern states.
This drought was certainly not on the same page as the "Dust Bowl" in the 1930s. Nevertheless, one report called it the most severe drought in the Northeast in the past century. (For their purposes, the Northeast was New England to Virginia). Federal climatologist W.C. Palmer was quoted as saying the drought in the 1960s was “such a rare event that we should ordinarily expect it to occur in this region only once in a couple of centuries.” Water supplies were so low they required emergency measures.
Annual rainfall in Washington in the 1950s was about 40 inches, 1961 hit that mark, but 1964 was 29 and 1965 was 27. The dry pattern continued into 1966. In February, a Washington Post headline read:
Drought is Still a Serious Problem For Area Suburbanites and Farmers.
A headline in April read:
District Threatened with Record Drought
A hydrologist with the Geological Survey said the Potomac River was at its lowest point for that time of year since 1930.
Drought concerns prompted engineers to look at possible long term solutions.
They included building two barrier dams, one below Alexandria and the other about 25 miles to the south at Maryland Point. The idea was to trap water in the winter months. Other major rivers in the country had dams, but not the Potomac.
A report in late June detailed Virginia’s areas of extreme drought as northern Virginia, with severe in the central and western mountains, the tidewater and eastern Piedmont.
In mid-July, a number of counties in Virginia and Maryland applied for drought aid. That same month, Prince George’s County banned lawn watering and car washing. Voluntary measures had been ignored. Residents of Fairfax County and Loudoun County were asked to restrict water usage. Brush fires were on the increase in the region. The heat and the drought were killing trees.
In late July, the Post reported on ruined crops in the panhandle of Maryland. Scattered thunderstorms were of little help. One farmer said, "the plants might grow a little, but they won’t make any corn."
The month of July is typically the best for rainfall in Washington (4.33) but only .93 fell at National. In late July, 49 counties in Virginia were declared drought disaster areas. Fairfax County officials announced the possibility of building a dam and pumping station.
In August, the drought intensified in parts of the northeast. Some of the very worst parts were in western Maryland. Virginia put the cost of the drought at $30M for farmers and West Virginia also declared losses.
Eric Wentworth’s report in the Post (August 7) detailed the story. Rains in some parts of New York had replenished some reservoirs, but farmers elsewhere likely did not scoff when Wentworth wrote the drought “gives rise to gloomy forebodings of another Dust Bowl.”
When September arrived, the Post reported on a report by the US Geological Survey. The Potomac River’s flow of 520 million gallons may sound like a lot, but it was a record low that approached the mark in 1930 of 474 million. Jean Hailey’s article also pointed out bans on watering lawns and gardens continued. Fairfax County’s measure was still voluntary.
Temperatures were also setting records. The average for June, July, and August was 78.5, equalling the record set in 1872 and 1943. Folks without air conditioned suffered and plants and trees were wilting or dying.
On September 11th, The Evening Star published a special front page report with the headline — “Water Crisis Grips Area.” The District had declared a “water conservation emergency.” It was the first such measure in 107 years.
Residents across the region were asked to stop using water for lawns, washing cars, hosing down sidewalks, and filling swimming pools. The Potomac had dropped to 389 million gallons a day, an all-time low. Nine of Maryland’s 23 counties had been declared disaster areas and 58 of 96 in Virginia.
The Washington Post headline of the same day read - D.C. Declares First Water Use Curb in 107 Years. The District had "proclaimed a water conversation emergency."
Drought conditions in parts of the US have been lessened by tropical systems and hurricanes in September. That did not occur this time, but mercifully, a weather system coming up from the Carolinas delivered the merciful relief. On September 13, the weather forecasters were pleased to deliver good news. The Post quoted George Brown at National. "It looks favorable for a substantial amount of rain during the next 48 hours.”
And rain it did. Across two days, four inches arrived officially at National Airport and five at Dulles.
Unfortunately, flooding occurred. A number of residents near Four Mile Run and Wheeler Avenue in Alexandria had to be rescued. The usual disruptions, -- cars and basements inundated, small damages, and fender benders took place -- but overall, the flooding was not highly impactful.
In 1999, D’Vera Cohn ("Region Learned Lessons From Past Droughts, The Washington Post, August 17, 1999) reported on the drought that ended in September 1999 when ten inches fell during the month. She quoted Harry Lins, USGS Drought Science Coordinator, as saying, “We learned a lot during the 1960s and were able to develop the necessary infrastructure.” The biggest measure was the construction of the Little Seneca Reservoir, a lake and dam completed by the Corps of Engineers in 1984, and having a capacity of 4.5 billions gallons.
Washington’s annual rainfall measured 38 inches in 1967 and never again did it see consecutive years not reach at least 30. It has not dipped below 30 since 2001. Through the years, there have been notable droughts such as the one ending in September, 1999, and last summer was worrisome. But nothing like 1966.
Oh, by the way, the Braves won the pennant in 1948, ending their 34-year drought...
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