The drought that took place on the Great Plains during hte 1930s did not happen in a vacuum. The same set of factors impacted Michigan as a whole, with lower amounts of precipitation, lower levels in the Great Lakes, and the hottest single day in Michigan's history by 1936.

As this graph indicates, drought is not a complete absence of precipitation, but a pattern over a longer period of time combined with other factors. This combination would have great significance for Ottawa County's agricultural foundation.

Dune erosion and blowing sand had long been an issue for farms near the lakeshore, but it became a greater issue during the 1930s. Not only did the lessened level of precipitation dry farmland, it would also lower lake levels, and combined with warmer seasons with greater wind velocities, set dunes in motion. 

The same drought and persistent winds along with farming practices meant that erosion removed topsoil and exposed the sandy sub-soils that then spread across farm fields. Sudden heavy rains swept soils into watersheds or away from fields. 

Orchards and farms owned by "suitcase" farmers who tended their land only sporadically before returning to places like Chicago did little to arrest issues on their land. Neighboring farmers, already struggling, had to deal with these effects spreading onto their lands. 

The economic crisis of the Great Depression further deepened farmers' problems as prices dropped and consumption declined.