The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1952-07-31
LONG HEAT WAVE
BREAKS; DROUGHT
HERE Is SERIOUS
Temperature Drops to Low
of 81 Degrees Early
Wednesday Morning
No Relief Sighted from
Lack of Rainfall
Menacing Farm Crops

Relief from a month-long heat
wave which has enveloped the Bluff
ton area almost without Interrupt
tion came the first of the week.
The temperature dropped to 81 de-
grees early Wednesday morning for
the low mark of the current cool
spell which first became apparent
Monday night. The temperature
early Tuesday registered low of
60 degrees.
The cool air, weather forecasters
said, moved in from the northern
plains and is expected to remain for
several days.
No DROUGHT RELIEF
Lower temperatures, howeve
brought no relief from the current
drought conditions which plague the
Bluffton area.
New seedlings of grasses and Glow
er are showing effects of the recent
extreme heat and lack of moisture,
which is also becoming evident in
the stand of corn.
Just how serious is the drought
here was pointed out by one farmer
who said that a ditcher had been
used on his farm down to depth
of 80 inches without sign of mois-
ture.
HoT SUMNER
The double-barreled threat of heat
and drought to crops in this area is
one of the longest in recent years.
Since early June rainfall here has
been sharply deficient.
Succeeding assaults of heat IN
Bluffton's hottest summer since 1888
have driven temperatures higher than
the 90-degree mark total of 81
times so far this year.
This is more than twice the num-
ber of 90-and-up thermometer read
| ings recorded in 1850 and 1851 COM
lbined, and a continuation of weather
Experienced so far this summer would
break all existing records for the dis
trict.
| During the entire summer of 1851
there were only nine days on which
the temperature got to 96 or higher;
and in 1850 only five such readings
were recorded; so no wonder Bluffton
residents are experiencing difficulty
in bearing up under the continued
assaults of heat dished out so far this
year by pitiless weatherman.
Up to and including Tuesday of
this week, % of tn preceding 81
days had temperature readings top
ping the 90 degree mark. Two of
the readings during the period were
over 100 degrees, with high for the
season of 103 established in late
June. On most of the days when the
mercury failed to reach the 90 mark,
it hovered in the upper eighties, and
conditions are such that 70-degree
weather now actually seems to be a
little on the cool side.
Hot nights also have marked the
onslaught of heat, making it diff
cult for residents to get comfortable
overnight rest in the sweltering tenn
peratures of their homes.
All-time hot weather records for
the district were set in 1901 and
again in 1888 when there were 81
days on which the temperature got to
80 or over. The area average, how
ever, since 1900 has been 1913 days
per year with temperatures above the
90-degree mark.
Possibility that some relief may be
coming, should August weather this
year run true to form, is seen in the
fact that on the average that month
in this section is not as hot as July.
All-time averages show 81 days of
90-degree weather for August, and an
average of 3.9 in September. In the
last three preceding years, however,
temperatures never. have gotten into
the nineties in September.
In addition to this years continued
assaults of heat, high humidity and
Sustained drought conditions have
contributed to the uncomfortable