First Grade
Worksheets
Big, Black Blizzards!
What would you do if you saw a big black cloud? What if it was one thousand feet tall! You might say, "Wow!" You might be surprised! These storms happened a lot in the 1930s. They were called black blizzards. They were in the Midwest. They were in a spot called the Dust Bowl.
Why did these storms happen? Farmers in the Midwest dug up the soil. They got rid of native grass. That grass had been there for a long time. The grass helped the prairie. It kept the soil moist. Farmers took it away so they could plant crops. Cows also grazed on the grasses. Farming and grazing made the prairies drier.
Then, a drought happened. A drought is when very little rain falls. The soil became even drier. The wind blew hard. Then, soil and dust was swept into the air! The soil and dust made the storm look black. These storms affected a lot of land. The area became even drier and dustier. It was called the Dust Bowl. These conditions lasted for about ten years.
