Abstract
The Palmer Index was used to compare the droughts of the 1930s and the 1950s in the central United States. A series of maps was produced to compare the droughts in terms of location, severity, and duration. The results indicated the 1930s drought lasted longer and consisted of three distinct waves. The 1950s drought, although shorter in overall duration, was actually more intense over a larger area for a longer period. There were changes in the size and configuration of the drought-affected area, but both droughts were especially persistent in a core region on the High Plains. A simple index of overall drought impact was developed based on the drought-affected area and the Palmer value from each climatic division. The probability of drought occurrence was calculated for each of the 76 climatic divisions in the study area. [Key words: drought, Palmer Index, Great Plains.]
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