7:15 AM | *The role of the weather in the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963*
Paul Dorian
President Kennedy, Sen. Ralph W. Yarborough, Gov. John Connally, Vice President Lyndon Johnson at a rally in front of a Fort Worth, Texas, hotel on Nov. 22, 1963 (Cecil Stoughton, White House, from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)
Overview
The weather in Dallas, Texas had been rainy and the weather forecast was for more rain on November 22nd, 1963. If the forecast had turned out to be correct with more rain on that fateful day then that would have likely meant that a plexiglass bubble top would have been used on President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Lincoln Convertible on a planned motorcade through the Dallas metro region. But the weather cleared unexpectedly, the protective top was removed from the car, and shots rang out in the early afternoon hours at Dealey Plaza killing the 35th President and seriously wounding Texas Governor John Connally.
The surface weather map shown here was from noon on November 22nd, 1963 just 30 minutes before President Kennedy was assassinated. A band of rain and thunder moved through Dallas in the early morning hours before clearing skies arrived late in the morning. Map courtesy NOAA archives
Details
The day started out damp and overcast in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963 with 0.06 inches of rain as a cool front was working its way through northern Texas. The local weather forecast had called for more rain later in the day, but it turned sunny and bright in the late morning hours just as President Kennedy’s motorcade was set to leave for the cross-town journey in Dallas. The unexpected sunshine combined with stiff southerly winds of 15-30 mph helped to boost temperatures rather quickly towards an afternoon high near the 70 degree mark.
An upper-level trough of low pressure contributed to an early morning rainfall in Dallas, Texas on November 22nd, 1963, but it passed through northern Texas quicker than expected. Map courtesy NOAA archives.
As a result of the unexpected turn of events with the weather, President Kennedy opted to not go with the plexiglass bubble top on the 1961 Lincoln Convertible despite the wishes of the Secret Service. Crowds were already lining the streets in Dallas and President Kennedy wanted them to be able to see him during the ride which was expected to last less than an hour. The motorcade drove through most of the planned route and was about to turn onto a road which would allow it to speed up, but first it had to slow down as it turned to go through Dealey Plaza around 12:30 pm. Shortly after slowing down for the turn into Dealey Plaza, shots rang out killing the 35th President and seriously injuring Texas Governor John Connally. Had the weather remained cloudy with light rain as predicted, the assassination of President Kennedy may not have taken place on that fateful day changing the course of history.
The fall season of September through November in 1963 was arguably the warmest ever across the nation as indicated by this plot of average maximum temperatures at US Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) weather stations. Map courtesy NOAA, Tony Heller (Twitter)