Rain

From June on, a series of dry air masses hovered far above the U.S., swirling around a high-pressure center. Winds moving around this center kept moist air over the Gulf of Mexico from spreading, and steered Pacific storms off to the north. As summer wore on, the dry masses sank steadily, becoming compressed and growing warmer.,as they came down. The result: hot, dry weather over most of the country, disastrous drought in sections of 13 states. Last fortnight, the drought breeding weather high was cracked and pushed aside.

Two troughs of low pressure, plus the movement of the high-pressure center out over the Gulf of Mexico, did it. The troughs converged on the U.S. from the Atlantic and the Pacific. The eastern trough let in warm, moist Atlantic air; its western partner opened a path for moisture-laden air masses from the Gulf. Meeting colder air from the Pacific and Canada, the warm, moist air masses condensed and fell to earth as rain.

In Texas' drought-parched cattle and wheat country, the rainfall averaged more than two inches. In southwestern Missouri's burned-out dairy land, weather stations reported up to an inch. From .5 to 1.5 inches fell across the Great Plains. In New England and down the eastern seaboard to Virginia, the fall averaged two inches.

After the long drought, the rain had a great impact on both man and the creatures of field and stream. During a storm in Oklahoma City, a flock of wild ducks mistook a wet runway at Municipal Airport for a body of water, and some of them cracked up on landing. In the drought-disaster areas, everyone knew that one rain does not break a drought, but farmers and townsfolk alike drew a deep, fresh breath and hoped. The rain was too late to help this year's crops, but in many areas it settled the blowing topsoil, helped the winter wheat and the pastures, and started the long process of replenishing the subsoil moisture.

As the rain fell, morale went up in the critically dry areas. At the Fort Worth livestock market, cattle receipts fell off because farmers could see some feed ahead for their stock. With fewer cattle on the market, prices went up. In some sections of the South, the rain came at a bad time for cotton farmers, but hardly anyone was complaining. Said L. A. Walker, a Haskell County, Texas farmer: "Sure, it'll hurt quality of cotton somewhat, but it'll more than pay for this damage in the boost it'll give pastures, small grains and even next year's cotton."

In Washington, the U.S. Weather Bureau's chief long-range forecaster, Jerome Namias, stepped forward with good long-range news. Over much of the U.S., said Namias (who had accurately predicted the rains), the next 30 days will be wet. Said he: "The rain . . . signals a large-scale change in the weather regime. There will be repeat performances."

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