The
Weather Forecast July 14, 2019 vs. 1930
The weather forecast today reminded me of another of my Grandfather, James Overby’s Story Tellings.
When I was growing up here on the farm 1964, it was dry and hot, didn’t rain, I mentioned to my Grandfather that the tobacco would probably die from the heat and no rain.
He replied that it would not! Went on to tell that the driest year of his life was 1930, not only the depression where it was hard to earn a few cents, much less a dollar, but the drought prevented a decent crop of anything. He said that it was so dry that the springs that folks in the community used for drinking water went dry, stopped flowing. And that Flat Rock Creek, a major tributary of the Meherin River, stopped flowing. He said the spring here on the farm between his home, (now my home), and his father’s home, never quit flowing, but that the flow going out of the spring and down the branch toward Kettlestick Creek, dried up, soaked into the ground and never made it to the creek. Folks in the community came to the Overby Spring to get drinking water and water for their livestock as their wells and springs had no water.
As for the tobacco dyeing, he said it didn’t grow but didn’t die, just sat in the field as small plants until the fall frost. But, he said that large pine trees in the woods around the tobacco fields did die.
The trigger for my remembering this story came from the TV Weather forecast as copied below from the TV station’s website.
There are several mentions of records which may be broken this week. Some of those records are from 1930.
-----------------------------------------------------
By Nick Russo, Andrew Freiden, and
Jim Duncan | July 14, 2019 at 9:06 PM EDT - Updated July 15 at 9:46 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Potentially the hottest weather of
the summer so far is on the horizon this week in Virginia.
High temperatures will reach the upper 90s to near 100
degrees by this weekend.
The hottest days of the week appear most likely on Friday
and Saturday, when high temperatures are expected to reach the upper 90s. For
that reason, Friday and Saturday are now First Alert Weather Days. Wednesday
and Thursday will also be very hot, and need to be monitored for potential heat
advisories.
Factoring in high humidity, the Heat Index (the feels like
temperature) could reach between 105 to 110 degrees.
NBC12
From the @NWSWPC,
there is a greater than 60% chance the Heat Index in Richmond on Friday and
Saturday will reach 110 degrees. In
fact, on Saturday there is a 55% chance the Heat Index reaches 115 degrees. That's why Friday and Saturday are #FirstAlert Weather Days. @NBC12
10:20 AM - Jul 15, 2019
Record high LOW temperatures are also possible!
There’s still time for the forecast temperatures and Heat
Index values to change (they could go down or up) between now and the end of
the week.
High temperatures will reach the upper 90s to near 100
degrees by this weekend.
Right now, it’ll be shy of all-time records but still HOT!
Please make plan accordingly.
People will need to exercise caution outdoors late this week
and into the upcoming weekend. Be sure to stay hydrated and take plenty of
breaks.
From the @NWSWPC, there is a greater than 60% chance the
Heat Index in Richmond on Friday and Saturday will reach 110 degrees. In fact, on Saturday there is a 55% chance
the Heat Index reaches 115 degrees.
That's why Friday and Saturday are #FirstAlert
Weather Days. @NBC12
10:20 AM - Jul 15, 2019
Week Tue July 16, 2019 thru Monday July 22, 2019
http://www.edavidarthur.net/Weather2019-1930.pdf