British Weather from 1700 to 1849 (2024)

1700 to 1749DateDescriptionReffirst half of 18th C.It was 'remarkably dry' overall Britainand near continent. Seems to have been notably dry in the London area. Dryyears were common, while wet years were few & far between. Only 5 wetsummers during this period compared with 16 during the 2nd half.1700A dry summer (London/South). 1701 (January)29th(NS): Severe southerly gale [afterperiod of severe frost during first-half of month]; many ships wrecked, treesblown down and buildings damaged in southern England (includes EastAnglia).1701 (April) Very cold: CET=4.7 deg C.Equal coldest April (with 1837) in that series. (Probably also dry as notablycold spring months tend to be anticyclonic). 1701 (Spring & summer)Little rain for several months beforeMay; warm summer (London/South). In the Upminster record (Essex), the rainfallfor March was 0.79 ins / 20 mm, & for April, the figure was 0.29 ins / 7mm.
One of the 10 warmest Julys in the CET record. The value was 18.3degC, beingwell in excess of +2C anomaly on the all-series mean.1702Waterspout (?) caused damage at Hatfield(Hertfordshire?) on 21st June.
[ Odd report / location for a 'waterspout'!]1703Very wet from April to July.1703 (November)The 'Great Storm' of 1703 whichcommenced on Friday 26th November (old-style, 7th December new-style) wasprobably the worst ever experienced in England; it is described by Defoe in hiswork: "The Storm 1703". This storm was associated with a deepsecondary depression which swept across Ireland, Wales & central England;it is possible that this secondary developed from a West Indian hurricane whichhad been off the coast of Florida a few days previously. The gale first blewfrom the south, then veered to west-south-west and finally to north-west. Thesouthern half of the country felt the full force of the storm and it was worstin London on the nights of Friday 26th November(OS) and Tuesday 30thNovember(OS), when bricks, tiles and stones flew about with such force, andwere so numerous, that none dared venture forth from their homes. After thestorm the price of tiles increased by about 300%.
The tidal flood affecting the Thames on Sunday 30th(OS) was associated withthis storm, though the tidal storm surge for this event was more significant onthe Severn and along the Dutch coast. Twelve warships with 1300 men on boardwere lost in sight of land, Eddystone lighthouse was destroyed and practicallyall shipping in the Thames was destroyed or damaged. In London alone, 22 peoplewere drowned, 21 people were killed and 200 injured by falling and flyingdebris. It was estimated that 8000 people lost their lives in the floods causedby the storm in the rivers Thames and Severn and in Holland. The damage due tothe storm and flood in London alone was estimated to be £ 2 000 000.
[ Lamb quotes 'new-style' dates for this event of 7th/8th December 1703.]
Additional notes:
1. Possibly a rejuvinated Atlantic hurricane, this storm produced estimatedwinds reaching 120mph/104 knots (Lamb estimates 150kn).
2. There was apparently little rain.
3. On the south Wales coast, a tidal surge drove up the Bristol Channel,leaving the port of Bristol in ruins, and the hinterland under water.
4. Considerable structural damage occurred across England & Wales, withlarge loss of standing timber (much as 1987/Oct). Estimates of total loss oflife are around 8000, which makes it much worse than the October 1987 event.The heavy lead on the roof of Westminster Abbey being ripped off and carriedwell clear of the building. The Eddystone lighthouse (newly built/2nd time) wasdestroyed, and its designer/builder (Henry Winstanley) was killed as he was onsite at the time.
5. The storm dealt a severe blow to Merchant and Royal Navy shipping in theChannel and along the English east coast. For the latter, over 1000 seamen werekilled, including many senior RN personnel, and 15 ships. (England was then atwar with France).
6. Much salt contamination of inland fields by wind-driven spray/salt-ladenwinds.
7. The depression (possibly a secondary within the circulation of a parentfurther north/North of Scotland) approached SW England/Celtic Sea and movedacross Wales to Yorkshire (estimated eastward speed ~ 40kn; a factor in thesurface wind speeds), with widespread southwesterly severe gales on the 26th,and a rearward surge of strength affected the eastern English Channel duringthe early hours of the 27th.
8. It is estimated that a very intense pressure gradient developed on it'ssouthern flank, with central MSLP almost certainly below 960mbar (some sources,and Lamb, say possibly 950mbar).
9. During 27th & 28th, this storm caused widespread problems Low Countries,North Germany, Denmark and adjacent areas.
[ NB: the 'stormy' spell had actually started around two weeks earlier, withlocal damage / loss of shipping reported; for example on the 24th, a storm ofsuch proportions would, if this latter had not occurred, been regarded as the'major' event of this time. Earlier still, on the 12th, another severe galeaffected the English Channel & southern North Sea. The 'final' storm markedthe conclusion of the spell.])1704Perhaps the driest year for 20 years ..but not everywhere. A warm summer (London/South).1705A dry year; "Mild & Dark"(?) with fogs and close weather during the first half of March 1705.
A dry summer (London/South).1705 (August) A 'great storm' affected the southEnglish coast on the 11th August (OSP). Great damage was done to shipping, withmany deaths. Onshore, there was considerable loss of / damage to property inthe Brighton (Sussex) area. 1706 (November)From Norwich cathedral records . . ."Two great floods in Norwich". (If it is this time of year, suggestsevents due to heavy / prolonged rainfall rather than severethunderstorms.) 1707A dry year (London/South).July 1707"Hot Tuesday": many heat-wavedeaths in England (temperature details not known .. but must have been'notable'!!)1708The coldest spring, summer & autumnfor 47 years, apart from 1698.1708/09 (winter)1. This was a severe winter: the frostlasted for over three months (December - March) and the temperature fell(location unspecified) to 0degF (or -18degC). A notably foggy period inDecember 1708 (from 15th to 24th/OSP). The Thames frozen in London. Reputed tohave been more severe, and more destructive and continued longer than in anyyear since 1698. Cold/severe winter, by CET series. (1.2 degC or about 2.5Cbelow all-series mean, which is a lot for the three months as a whole.)
2. For London/Southeast in particular, a cold spell which started on 7thJanuary 1709(OSP) lasted for nearly two months, and it became so cold that theThames froze over completely, with the usual 'booths & tents' being set upon the frozen surface. (Actually, one report I have found says that the Thameswas frozen sufficiently for such 1st-4th January; this would imply that thespell starting 7th was immediately preceded by a 'milder' spell of a few days,with December being cold. Inspection of the CET record has that month as a'below-average' event, but not exceptionally so, therefore some confusionhere.)
(Sounds a bit like 1962/63 with the fog at the start of theepisode).
[ Also "probably" the COLDEST winteracross Europe (as a whole) in a series starting 1500; combining proxy &instrumental data. (University of Berne / RMetS / 'Weather' 2004)]1709A wet year.1710 (January & February)Very foggy. Dates noted as 19th to 24thJanuary(OSP), & 'in February'. (London/South).1711 (May) "Lightning strike on 20th May,1711(OSP) blew a stable block and coach-house apart, killing two men. Glasswindows burst outwards and brickwork split in half". There are alsoreports of a 'violent storm' affecting Nottinghamshire - damaging churches (notsure if this is the same date / synoptic event as above). December 1713This month was very mild with a lot offog and there was thick fog on the 13th.1714 (February) Possible major gale / storm on/about 1stFebruary (OSP). (Parish Register of Wintringham). 1714Outstandingly dry: the annual rainfall atUpminster (Essex) was some 11.25 inches (or 286 mm) which is about half of theaverage during the first half of the 20th century. (These low values were notbeaten until 1921 q.v.)
The extended dry weather was noted elsewhere across England & Ireland, andin Ulster, where a 'severe drought' is said to have lasted from 1714 to 1719,it is thought that the adverse conditions for agriculture led to a majormigration of Ulster-Scots from there to North America, specifically toPennsylvania.1715 (Summer)A wet summer. A notably wet summer at KewObservatory (then in rural Surrey). The anomaly is given by Lamb (in CHMW) as194% (of 1916-1950 LTA). 1715/16 (Winter)Cold / severe winter, by CET series. (0.8degC). Severe frost from 24th November(OS) to 9th February(OS). Frost fair heldon the Thames. The Thames was completely frozen for about two months duringthis severe winter: a frost fair was held on the river - however, remember thatthe 'old' London Bridge would have restricted the river flow considerably andallowed such ice to form readily [see note at the introduction to theserecords]. 25th January: ice on Thames in London lifted by some 14ft (~ 4.3m) bya flood tide but did not break. Much fog 24th to 28th January (temporary mildincursion?); some fog in February.1716A dry year - with a dry summer: theThames so low by September that people walked under the arches of LondonBridge. This was apparently caused by a combination of drought, strong windsand low tides.1717 (January & February)Some foggy days in January & February(London/South).1717 (Christmas)
24th/25th December(NS): According toHubert Lamb, this was 'one of the greatest historically recorded stormdisasters on the coasts of the North Sea in terms of loss of life - possiblysince the beginning of major dyke building.' About 11 000 people are reportedto have died, with the death toll especially high in Germany - there was also agreat loss of livestock (90 000 cattle at least). Storm damage/flooding bothsides of the North Sea, also on the French side of the Channel - muchsignificant damage to the dykes on the eastern side of the North Sea. (December1717 was apparently a 'very stormy month', with the sequence of periods of highwinds beginning in the last few days of November/NS.)1718, 1719Fine summer weather gave a good crop ofgrapes at Richmond in both years, and the summer of 1719 was claimed to be oneof the hottest for some time. Generally warm across the whole of England &Wales (using the CET series), with 1719 notably warm.1720 (December)"Great losses sustained inLancashire in December, 1720 by the violent overflowing of the sea".(Diary of Nicholas Blundell). Storm tides (wind-driven surge) had flooded 6600acres of land, washed out 157 houses, and damaged 200 more. The main areas ofdamage were on low-lying land at Pilling Moss and Marton Moss near the FyldeCoast and the West Lancashire Moss between Formby & Tarleton. At InceBlundell sea banks were breached, the River Alt floodgates were broken &more than 100 acres of productive farmland were damaged by seawater (saltcontamination). Roads and bridges were also affected, including a public bridgein Great Crosby known at 'Foremost poole bridge' (Far Moss Pool bridge).October 1722Exceptionally foggy month (in London) -with fog on 9 days.1723Long fine summer but a wet July(London/South).1724Severe thunderstorm with hail on the 10thJune.January 1725Very dry period began 13th: only 15 dayswith rain at Wells, Somerset over the following three months (tomid-April).February 1725Exceptionally foggy month (in London) -with fog on 10 days. Part of a notably dry spell .. see above.April 172525th: beginning of exceptional prolongedwet spell with winds between NW & SW (after a mild winter 1724/25). Rainfell in London on at least 60 out of 75 days between this date and the 8thJuly. 1725 SummerCold summer. Notably cold by CET series.The CET value was 13.1degC, over 2C below the LTA in that series (began 1659),and (as at 2004), the coldest in that series. No grapes (ripened?) atRichmond-upon-Thames (then in a semi-rural Surrey)September 17255th: Beginning of drier weather and amild autumn after prolonged raininess since April.1725/26Severe winter (London/South).Spring / early summer 1726On 8th March, River Thames four inches(10 cm) higher than had been known for 40 years, presumably due to highrainfall over England & Wales during the winter / spring.
> Very thundery from end of May to mid-June. There was apparently a majorsudden flood at Bruton (Somerset) due to an intense / violent thunderstorm inthe early hours of the 5th (OSP), assigned by modern researchers to 15th June(NS). Considerable destruction of housing (not sure what the type of housingwould be). The four bridges through the town were either significantly damagedor washed away (again, what construction is not given but one was a 'packhorse'bridge which implies stonework). [latter information from 'Weather', September2014: Clark.]
> Given the implied wet winter / early spring, then such intensethunderstorms would have caused all sorts of problems - as we knowtoday.1727A dry summer (London/South).1728A wet year; a wet summer. In September,fog recorded on 6 days (London/South ?)1728/29 (Winter &
Spring)Severe winter. Frost & snow frommid-December to end of January. Very backward spring in 1729.(LW) The winterCET value was 1.7degC, which is roughly 2C below the all-series mean, and thespring value at 6.7degC is just over 1C below the mean for thatseason.May 1729Tornado destroyed buildings along trackthrough Sussex & Kent.1729 (Summer)A wet summer across England & Wales.The anomaly is given by Lamb (in CHMW) as 169% of LTA (1916-1950). 1729-1731 (Autumns)Three years in a row with remarkably warmAutumn seasons. All three periods (September to November in each year)experienced CET anomalies of around +2degC on the long-term average. In 1729,the September of that year was the warmest such-named month (until 2006) in theCET record (16.6/+3.3C), followed by a near-average October, but a warmNovember (+2C). With 1730 & 1731, the warmth was consistent across allthree months, with November of 1730 having an anomaly of over +3C. These lattertwo years (1730/1731) experienced the warmest autumns in the CET recorduntil 2006 comprehensively beat them. (q.v.) 1729, DecemberThick fog all day in Richmond (Middlesex)on 12th & 19th December(OSP).January 17301st: a 'great fog' in London - many liveslost; Thick fog 5th to 7th January(OSP).1731 (January & February)The first two months of this year werenotably cold, at least across England & Wales, & often very dry. Theanomaly for January was -1.3C & for February -1.6C (wrt CET long-periodaverage). For the winter, the anomaly was -1.2C. Noted at the time as a periodof 'Great frost'. The temperature in 'London' fell to 0degF (or ~-18degC). Muchsnow (London/South).1731 (summer &autumn)A warm summer & autumn;
Persistently warm period September to November.[ see also general note abovere: 1729-1731 ]1731 (Annual)Outstandingly dry - a couple of sites inthe southeast of England around London recorded around 14 ins / 356 mm of rain,roughly half modern-day average: started with a great frost. (Seeabove).1732Dry summer (London/South).1733Dry year; Hot July (London/South): intothe 'top-10' of warmest such-named months in the CET series.1733/34 (winter)One of the warmest winters (by CET) inthe series which began in 1659. Up to 1997, rank=9 Value=6.10; Dec=7.6,Jan=4.3, Feb=6.4 (Others: 1686, 1796, 1834, 1869, 1935, 1975, 1989 and1990.) 1735 (January)The westerly or WSW gale of the 8thJanuary(OS) / 19th January(NS), 1735 was, according to contemporary reports,the most violent since the destructive storm of November 1703. The damage inLondon was considerable; several houses were destroyed, practically everystreet was covered with tiles, and 36 trees were uprooted in St. James' Park.High winds were reported between midday and midnight on the 19th(NS) over anarea that extended from the English midlands to Berlin, and rainfall was alsoheavy and prolonged over much of this area on the 18th & 19th. 1735Flooding at Kingston on the 19thJuly(OSP).1735Severe storm (doesn't say whether 'gale'or thunderstorm) on 24th August(OSP) damaged houses and trees - location notgiven.1736 (February)Highest tide for 50 years in the Thamesbasin on the 16th February(OS), late February in 'new-style' dating: coupled tosevere gales and a deep depression, this produced a significant storm-surgewhich affected much of the east coast (of England), and possibly elsewherearound the North Sea. Significant flooding in Westminster & Whitehall ('twofeet through Westminster Hall') and the high waters affected much of the Thamesshoreline downstream to the Essex & Kent coasts; serious inundation oflow-lying areas across the English Fens and other eastern marshlands was alsorecorded. The severe gale caused a loss of shipping right around the coasts ofthe British Isles. An additional factor was high rainfall, which apparentlyaffected large areas of Britain, itself causing extensive flooding. [ Based onvarious contemporary newspaper entries collated by David Bradbury.]1736 (December)Another high tide on the 24th December(OS) caused the Thames to flood Westminster Hall. This presumably wouldn't havebeen notable unless some form of storm-surge was involved. (see also February1736 above). However, according to Lamb (Ref: 23), another explanation of thisevent is that the flooding was river-based, due to a high volume of waterflowing down the Thames after at least a fortnight of heavy rain and/or snow,and melting of lying snow.1736, OctoberFog 12th - 19th October.1737 (late Spring & early-mid Summer)Persistently warm period May to July. By theCET record, each of these months had positive anomalies well in excess of +1C,with June around +1.7C.
A wet summer (this statement may apply to August only - see below).
1737 (August) In marked contrast to the above, August1737 failed to please, with the CET value of 13.8degC being some 2C below thelong-term average; this places this August in the 'top-20' of coldestsuch-named months in that series (began 1659).
A violent gale on the 3rd August (OS) / 14th August(NS) when numerous treeswere uprooted and some ships sunk in the Thames: this storm affectedsouth-eastern England & East Anglia (as well as areas on the other side ofthe North Sea). 1737There were two violent gales in 1737; thefirst on 3rd August uprooted numerous trees and sank some ships in the Thames,and considerable damage was also caused by a second gale on the 1st December(though Lamb/Ref 23, casts doubt on this one). 25th July 1738During a thunderstorm, hail stones"bigger than walnuts" fell at Uxbridge (Middlesex); house roofs weredamaged and several people were injured. Severe hailstorms in many districts;in Hertfordshire & Wiltshire lumps of ice (hail aggregates?) up to 9 inches(circa 23cm) across fell (in a mainly dry summer).1738/1739 (Winter) A notably mild winter (Dec/Jan/Feb).Using the CET series, the average was 5.6degC, an approximate all-seriesanomaly of +2C. January 1739Central Scotland: 25th January new-style(14th old-style) - early hours, a severe gale (similar in type to that of1968). A great deal of loss of shipping in both Clyde and Forth estuaries.Widespread structural damage in the Glasgow & Edinburgh areas - loss of agreat many trees. 1739A wet, unsettled year. Violentthunderstorm on the 10th September. (NB: in ref. 8, a 'gale' is noted on the11th September, doing much damage in London - is this the samephenomenon?October 17398th: Beginning of historic winter: Eastwind set in with frequent frosts.1739/40 (winter & much of spring)
This winter was extremely severe and mayhave been worse than that of 1715/16.
This winter included a notably severe / bitter January and February, both ofwhich were in the 'top-5' of coldest such-named months. Using the CET series,both January (-2.8degC) and February (-1.6degC) had sub-zero mean temperatures,only one of four instances of consecutive 'sub-zero' months (see also 1684,1878/79 & 1963).
29th/30th December (but Lamb has this as 31st December(OS), thus 11thJanuary(NS)): severe (or 'violent') easterly gale & ice in the Thamesdamaged shipping considerably; the problem with high winds and sea-ice alsoaffected other ports along the English east coast. Coupled to some very lowtemperatures, probably below -10degC, many deaths occurred due to exposure. Thewind-driven waves along the English east coast did great damage, with the portof Dunwich being badly affected - it had already been disappearing afterprevious inundations & storms. (see also below **)
The streets of London were clogged with snow and ice, the Thames was frozen forabout eight weeks, and Thames shipping and London Bridge were damagedconsiderably by the ice. Lamb (Ref. 23 notes that there were 'great shortages'of food & other essential supplies for the first seven weeks of 1740 due tothe difficulty of shipping negotiating the ice.) According to one report (Rev.W. Derham, Upminster [Essex]) the frost of this winter was the most severe onrecord and the temperature on 3rd January was down to -11degF (-24 degC).[ NB:at this time, and for at least another 150 years,Upminster was highly rural, & this very low temperature should not be seenas being relevant to a 'modern' London climatology, even if very severe winterswere to return; also, the exposure conditions of the thermometer were unlikethose of modern climatological stations.]
(** In addition to the prolonged frost (roughly Christmas Eveto mid-February), a violent easterly gale, accompanied by snow, didconsiderable damage on the 29th & 30th December 1739. The gale and largeblocks of drifting ice played havoc with shipping on the Thames; many shipswere driven ashore and dashed to pieces.)
12th November: Northerly gale with rain, snow & hail;
26th November: Beginning of longest break in the prevailing E winds of thislong, cold winter: many rainy days between 26th November & 4th January(1740) though still rather cold.
A notably dry January across England & Wales (see also 1766). As it wasalso bitterly cold (see 1. above), this suggests the classic'Scandinavian/North European' blocking high, with persistent easterly / PolarContinental airmass from snow-covered areas of mainland Europe. At places inEast Anglia, it was reported at the time that "3 inches of thick iceformed in just 24 hours": a remarkable feat, though it could have beensomething like a waterfall, or water overflow etc., rather than 3 inches on topof a still water surface. One report has it that the temperatures were below15degF (or -9degC), but doesn't say if that is by day, by night etc. The 16thJanuary (contemporary calendar) is noted in particular as being "thecoldest day in the memory of man".
Some exceptional snowfalls over Scotland, more especially in January - oftenwith marked drifting. Further south, in the London area, snow (falling) wasrecorded on 39 days between November 1739 & May 1740. Deep snow fell aboutChristmas in Norwich, which remained on the ground until March.
This great/severe winter of 1739/40 ended gently on the 9th March. [ see alsonotes below.]1740-43One of the worst dry spells of the 18thcentury. In particular, the years 1741 & 1743 were exceptionallydry.1740 (March) Heavy snowfall from the harsh winter (seeabove), remained on the ground until March, when breaking up of the frost, a'prodigious' flood ensued. The severity of the winter (in Norwich) producedriots, which were not quelled in the city without military assistance and theloss of six or seven lives. 1740 (spring)(Following the cold winter - q.v. above). . . a notably cold season by the CET series: snow fell in London at night16th / 17th May. On the 31st May this year, moors at Eskdalemuir (Scottishborders) frozen too hard for peat cutting. With the severe winter weatherextending well into spring (see below), the shortage of vegetables it causedled to an outbreak of scurvy.
May overall (8.6degC, ~ -2.5C on whole-series mean) was the coldest such namedmonth in the series (ignoring the early part where the record is only to thenearest 0.5C).
[ This was followed by a cold June, with a whole-series anomaly ~ -1.5C]1740 (September & October)In 1740, London experienced gales on 4th& 7th/8th September(OS), and on 1st November(OS); the gale of 7th/8thSeptember did great damage to shipping, and the gale of the 1st November blewdown one of the spires of Westminster Abbey and most of the wall around HydePark. It also did great damage up and down the English east coast, with loss oflife as well as considerable damage to shipping, port facilities etc.
9th October (or possibly the 1st - calendar style not clear): North windbrought uncommonly severe, early, night frost, after a cold summer: ice on manyrivers in England, with snow showers also reported widely. By the 12th October,ice half-inch (circa 1cm) thick in Kent. (This was the coldest October onrecord).
In the CET series, this October was the coldest such-named month, with a valueof 5.3degC, over 4C below the all-series mean, and over a degC colder than thenext coldest October in the series, 1817.November 174012th: Northerly gale with rain, snow& hail. (In reference 8, we have a date of 1st November?!) If it is thelatter, then damage was caused to Westminster Abbey, with one of the spiresbeing blown down. December 1740 A gale from between north and east(storm-surge?) drove sea water many miles inland and seriously inundated theancient Suffolk town of Dunwich. The last remnants of the original church werewashed away. Large sections of the cliffs disappeared.
Dunwich was at one point a major town/market place in thispoint in East Anglia, but coastal erosion over the years has reduced it to aninsignificant village. 1740 (Annual)Notably cold by the CET series: coldestby some margin for the year as a whole.January 1741Heavy thunderstorm with hail on the 25thJanuary in London.
25th: Violent WSW gale in Scotland: widespread damage to buildings.June - September 1741Prolonged heat/drought set in around 12thJune and lasted until 2nd September, whence general rainfall. Autumn noted asparticularly warm.1741: autumn & earlywinterFoggy from 26th August to 1st September;very foggy from 27th November to 6th December. (all presumablyLondon/South).1742 (December)Severe frost for about 3 weeks inDecember; much ice in the Thames.1743Great gale in London on 3rd February.
Gale on 27th April held the King (George II) up at Sheerness.
Hailstones as big as nutmegs at Enfield on the 15th July.1743 (autumn)Rather foggy September & October(London/South).1744April: Maximum temperature for the month75degF (24 degC) on the 21st April. [London ??]
August: Violent thunderstorm on 14th August (London).1745A wet summer (London).
Gales from 18th to 20th November (OSP)(London/South?).1746 JanuaryFreezing fog 3rd to 6th & 11th to16th January; Thick fog on 13th & 14th January (London/South).1746Hottest day on 18th July - temperature inshade 85 degF (29 degC) [London??]1747: (August) The summer of 1747 became progressivelywarmer, with July circa +1C above average; however, the August was notablywarm, with a CET value of 18.3degC (+2.7C on all-series average), and in the'top-10' of warmest Augusts in that series. 1747Thames in flood (no details asyet).Summer 1748Hot days in June & July; temperatureat 1 pm on 23rd July was 85 degF (29degC). [London??]
12th June 1748: Large hailstones, about 2 inches (50mm) in diameter, didconsiderable damage to windows and gardens during a thunderstorm. 1748 Severe frost 11th to 14th November(London/South).1749A dry summer. Shade temperature at aboutmid-day on 2nd July was 88 degF (31degC) [London ??]1749Sharp frost on 15th November(London/South).1750 to 1799DateDescriptionRef1750A very thundery year, with severethunderstorms & hail causing flooding on the 11th & 24th July in thisyear. 1751-1760 (10 years) In England, the summers of this periodwere the wettest in a record that began in 1697. These 10 wet summers in a rowproduced an overall anomaly of 127% of the modern-era mean.
1751 in particular is regarded as a notably wet year, at least in the London/SEregion. It included a wet March, a wet first two-thirds of May and some severethunderstorms & flooding in November.
The 1752 summer (London/SE) was noted as 'cool & damp'.
More wet summers for London/SE in 1755, 1756 & 1758. 1751A wet year. A wet March with continualrain from the 1st to 11th. Heavy rain during the first 18 days of May.Thunderstorm with snow/hail caused flooding on the 21st November. (allLondon).1751 (February)26th February(OS)/9th March(NS): severegale affected most of the southern half of the country and destroyed a numberof ships in the Thames. 1752-1840's According to Lamb, this period (thoughwith a 'lull' from 1783-1802) was "extraordinary for the frequency ofexplosive volcanic eruptions, which maintained dust veils high in theatmosphere & may have contributed (perhaps significantly) to the reversalof what otherwise would have been a noted climatic recovery from the late1600's onwards. Some of the more notable events were:
(a): 1783 - Iceland, Japan.
(b): 1812 - St. Vincent, West Indies & Awu, Celebes.
(c): 1814 - Philippines.
(d): 1815 - Tambora, East Indies. (Lamb/CHMW) Optical effects recorded byobservers of the time, along with some famous 'sunsets' in paintings by such asTurner.
[ see details against the particular years - where available. ] 20th July 1752A whirlwind associated with athunderstorm lifted two boats several feet (3 feet ~=1 metre) outof the Thames at Vauxhall and smashed one of them to pieces on the river bank.It is claimed (?) that this was the only thunderstorm in London during thisyear.Summer 1752A cool, damp summer.October 1752Dry & warm(London/South).1753Whitehall flooded on the 22nd March.(Storm-surge?)1755 (mid/late Winter - early/mid Spring) Odd sequence overall - generally cold, but with an anomalously warm April sandwiched in amongst the chill! The year 1755 was cold, with an anomaly of (minus)0.7C for the year. January (-1.0C), February (-2.6) & March (-1.3) were all notably cold, but April tried to correct this, promising a fine Spring. The CET figure for that month was 10.0 (+2.1C), and placed this April just outside the warmest 10 such-named months in the entire series. However, the promise failed, as May turned cold again, and ended up with an anomaly of -1.8C. 1755, 1756 & 1758All wet summers in the London area. More generally, April of 1756 was notably wet by the EWP series: amongst the top 3 such-named months. (See also 1782 and 1818). 1756 (May)May 1756 was notably cold. With a CET value of 9.1degC, this placed it just outside the 'top-10' or so coldest Mays in that long series, with an 'all-series' anomaly of over -2C.
> 6th May: Almost every day for a fortnight there has either been snow (large flakes) or large hailstones, and excessively cold. (as reported in the Journals of Ralph Jackson/Newcastle upon Tyne) 1756 (October) October 7th: a major cyclonic storm, withtornadic elements, affected much of the southern and central North Sea, most ofBritain and continental areas on the other side of the North Sea. The strongestwinds over Britain (with the most documented damage) occurred over northernEngland, with numerous trees blown down ('twisted-off', hence possibletornadoes). Buildings were damaged and there was considerable sea-saltcontamination of farming land around the Solway Firth. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne,houses were 'blown down', ships sunk and others foundered on the shoreline orwere blown out to sea. A high tidal surge reported on the German, Dutch &Danish coastlines: all these reports point to strongest winds being from NW orN. 1757: (July)A notably warm month by the CET record(starts 1659). The value of 18.4degC is roughly +2.5C on the all-seriesaverage, and placed it in the 'top-10' Julys in terms of warmth. The other'summer' months were nothing special though; indeed, August 1757 was on the'chilly' side, with a negative anomaly using the CET series. 1758 (Summer) A wet summer across England & Wales.The anomaly is given by Lamb (in CHMW) as 143% of LTA (1916-1950). December 1758Thick fog on 2nd and 3rd December (London/South).January 1759 Exceptionally dry month over England& Wales. 1762Great flood in the Thames valley (.. datenot given).1762 (late spring/earlysummer)Fine, warm or very warm weather -prolonged from April to July. In the CET series (began 1659), it was in the top10 to 15 summers (June, July & August) by that measure.October 1762Snow on 28th October(London/South).December / January 1762/63January 1763 was a bitterly cold month.There was an intense frost from Christmas Day, 1762 until the end of January(?London/South)(LW), often accompanied by an easterly wind - which implies aGreenland / Scandinavian anticyclonic-blocking episode. The CET value was-0.8degC, some 4C below the approximate 'all-series' mean.1763-1772 (Summers)These years experienced wet summers, withan average for the period of 117% 1763 (Summer)A very wet summer across England &Wales. The anomaly is given by Lamb (in CHMW) as 181% of LTA (1916-1950), andhe ranks it as the second wettest in the rain-gauge record.
However, note that across Scotland, there are reports of a 'Great drought'during the summer of 1763 & differences north-to-south like this are quitecommon occurrences.1763Thames flooded (.. date & type notgiven, but given the wet summer noted above, possibly a fluvial event autumn /winter?).June 176418th: Severe thunderstorms: lightningdestroyed churches & naval ship. (Helped to hastenintroduction/installation/acceptance of lightning rods on tall buildings). Awet summer.1765A dry summer (London/South).1765Foggy 21st to 26th August(London/South).Winter 1765/66Severe winter [ November to February ].Using the CET series, each of these months had an anomaly exceeding -2C, withDecember & January values nearer -2.5C (wrt all-series mean).
The driest January in the EWP series (which starts in this month/year), at4.4mm. (see also ... 1740).( Also, the third driest any-month in theseries. )1766-1768 (Three consecutive cold Januarys) As an additional note to that above(q.v.), the Januarys of 1766, 1767 & 1768 were all bitterly cold, withanomalies (using the CET series) much greater than -2C, and that of 1767, witha CET of 0.1degC had an all-series anomaly of -3.1C. Summers of 1766 & 1767Both years had wet summers.start 1767 & start 1768Both these years commenced with severefrosts which were described as comparable with the intensity of frosts of1739/40. [ see also below ]May 1767Snow on 5th May(London/South).September 1767Foggy 19th - 25th September; thick fog on20th & 21st September.December 1767 - January 1768Severe cold spell set in from roughlymid-December 1767 and lasted until beginning of the second week of January,1768. Gilbert White (Selborne) writes: .. "the most severe known for manyyears - much damage to ever-greens". [This latter comment perhaps impliesthat as well as very low temperatures, there was a considerable 'wind-burn'effect.]
During last few days of December 1767, 'considerable' falls of snow at Selborne(NE Hampshire). Bitterly cold spell second half of December 1767. Furthersnowfall in the opening days of January 1768. Some very low temperatures -daytime maxima no higher than 18 or 19 degF (circa -7degC) in some places.
Severe frost and deep snow (London/South).1768 (February) Snow-melt & rain event overtoppedbanks (of the River Aire) in Leeds (W. Yorkshire). The EWP value (representingan areal average across England & Wales) for that month showed nearly twicethe 'all-series' value for that month, following a slightly-above averageprecipitation value for January. Following-on the remarks under January(above), I think we can assume that snowfall during January around and aboveLeeds (across the Pennine headwaters of the Aire) must have beenconsiderable. [The year 1768 is the second-wettest year in theEWP series - see below]. June (& Summer) 17687th: Beginning of wettest part of arecord wet summer in England. Rain on at least 36 days out of the next 44;thundery. On 11th/12th June, a "two day deluge".
A wet summer across England & Wales. Lamb (in CHMW) gives the anomaly as164% of LTA (1916-1950), and he ranked it as the sixth wettest in therain-gauge record. [See also the comment against September/below]1768 (September) Heavy rain at Bruton, Somerset led tosevere flooding in the area on the 1st. The river rose very rapidly, completelydestroying one of the stones bridges, with the force of water causing thebreaking of house windows in the nearby village of Pitcombe. According tocontemporary reports, a localised 'violent' storm (presumably adding to alreadyhigh water levels - see below), caused the River Brue to "swell three feetperpendicular within 5 minutes", resulting in the severe flooding ofnumerous houses, destruction of the town bridge and demolition of wallsthroughout Bruton. (1768 was a notably wet year - see below: the immediatelypreceding summer 1768 [ JJA ], was also wet using the EWP series, with June1768 the second wettest June in the series, and the summer anomaly averagingout at over 175% of long-term). December 1768A report of the London-Exeter coach beingcarried away by a flood on the Thames near Staines (? 1st) with the loss of all6 passengers & four horses. 1768The second wettest year in the EWP series(as at 2006), with 1247mm of rain. See also 1872, 1852, 1960 & 2000.
A notably wet year in London. A wet summer but the heaviest rain fell in theautumn. Major flooding along the River Thames during December.1769Foggy 10th to 13th October(London/South).1770 (February) Wind-driven storm caused much wave-damageat Porlock & Watchet (Bristol Channel coast, Somerset). 1770 (Spring)With a CET averaged over the three monthsof March, April & May 1770 of 5.97degC, this Spring was technically thesecond-coldest such-named season in that record (but for all intents, equalwith 1695 given the approximations involved in the earlier part of the series).(See also 1695 & 1837)
SNOW on 2nd to 4th May (London/South).1770 (August)The storms / floods affecting many partsof the south of England from the 6th onwards (& parts of SE Wales) werenotable. Severe thunderstorms broke out in west Cornwall on the 6th - extendingacross much of Cornwall, Devon & the West of England by the end of the 7th.A great flood occurred at Lynmouth (North Devon) - on a par with the event ofAugust, 1952. The notably stormy weather, with high-intensity rainfall events,lightning / hail damage, violent thunder etc., extended across most southernareas by the 12th August. Deaths, both stock & humans were reported. Muchloss of crops. (NB: the EWP value for this month was nothing special).1770 (November)1. Second wettest November in the EWPseries (began in 1766). Total rainfall was 201mm, not far short of the recordfor November of 203mm set in 1852.[ One of only three months (any month thatis) in the record to reach or exceed 200mm, the others being October, 1903 andNovember, 1852 ]. In Worcester, on the River Severn, there was a 'very greatflood', with the waters 10 inches higher than the flood of 1672 (q.v.)1771 (February & May)Foggy 18th - 24th February; thick fog3rd, 11th & 12th May (London/South).
A wet summer.1771 (March) 25th March: (Lady Day) - In Margate(Kent), the snow was drifted above 6 ft (~2m) with temperatures below0degC. November 17716th: Heavy rain & floods at KingsLynn.
16th: Heavy rains flooded the rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees, washing away mostbridges. 1772A dry warm summer(London/South).1773 (late Spring & Summer) Based on records from Lambeth(London/south of the River), May, July & August were all part of a wetsummer for the capital & surrounding areas. May in particular experiencedover 180% of the contemporary average, and August, which was the second-wettestmonth of that year, had 3.96ins / 100mm, representing ~160% of themean.Summer to early September 17732nd September: First rain in N. Scotlandafter long/dry summer with waterfalls dried out. However note that in LW,summer 1773 is noted as 'wet' - not unusual for this 'upside-down'precipitation pattern though.
7th September: Very wet & stormy in NW Scotland & Hebrides: autumncontinued rainy until 3rd November. 20th September: Rain/gales inHebrides.1773/1774 (autumn+winter+early spring):September 1773 to February 1774: By EWPseries, and relating to the 1961-1990 average, all months were above average;total rainfall this period=688mm [ average=508mm ], which represents 135%. Noneof the months exceptionally wet but enough prolonged rainfall to causesignificant problems in the early Spring of 1774.March 177412th(NSP): Henley bridge (Berkshire /Oxfordshire border) destroyed by flood waters - partly tidal (!) thoughprimarily due to heavy rainfall/fluvial drainage. This flood was the highest onrecord at Teddington, and more generally the worst flood of the 18th centuryalong the Thames Valley. The sequence of events (a deep/penetrating frostleading to frozen ground, some heavy snow, then a rapid thaw accompanied byheavy rain) led to the flooding (and remember the sub-soil was alreadysaturated after the sustained rainfall since the previous autumn. 12th Marchwas the nominal high point of the Thames flood. Elsewhere, 50 acres of landdestroyed by a landslip at Selbourne (Hants). At Mapledurham, (betweenPangbourne & Reading), recent estimates are that the flood level at thispoint was 0.6m / 2ft above the level of the major inundation of 1894 (q.v.)
1775-1784 (Summers) Another in the 18th century series ofwet summers (see also 1751-1760 & 1763-1772). The anomaly for these yearsis given by Lamb as 115%. This set of summers were also warm.1775 (late Spring - early Summer)Fine, warm weather prolonged throughApril, May and June. Very heavy thunderstorm with hail (in London) on the30th.1775 (Summer) A wet summer across England & Wales.Lamb (in CHMW) gives the anomaly as 144% of LTA (1916-1950). In fact, theanomaly was concentrated into July & August (well over twice averagerainfall taking the two months together), whereas June was largely dry (seeabove). The wet 'high summer' months were followed by a wet autumn, and theanomaly July to November~160% of LTA. 1776 (January - February)1775/76: Severe winter; Severe coldweather much of Europe 9th Jan to 2nd Feb: Thames frozen for some time;intensely stormy cyclonic February followed.
January: A widespread and often severe frost for a large part of the month.Also snow. (The 'Great Frost' from accounts by Gilbert White). The monthoverall almost as cold as the record cold January of 1963. A severe/prolongedcold spell. There were interludes of mild/melting, but snowfall was oftenconsiderable, with frequent drifting. Considerably low temperatures over thesnow-cover during the second half of the month. Minima recorded at SouthLambeth were reported as 11, 7, 6 and 6degF on the nights of 28th to the 31st.(in degC down to about -14degC.). At Selborne (NE Hampshire), the figures forthe same nights were: 7, 6, 10 and 0 degF, the 0degF converts to -18degC. Theselow values were often accompanied by fog, and some reports suggest temperaturesas low as -4 deg Fahrenheit at Chatham and -11deg Fahrenheit at Maidstone, bothKent. Obviously daytime temperatures were very low, with sub-zero valuespersistent.
By the CET series, this January is in the 'top-10' of cold such-named months inthat dataset, which runs from 1659.
(A sudden thaw/milder weather evening 1st February.) October - December 1776Fog on 14 days in October, 11 days inNovember and 18days in December (London/South).1778 - 1800Dry years frequent in London area overthese years. The following are picked out as 'noteworthy': 1780, 1781, 1788,1795 & 1796. Includes four warm summers (1778**, 1780, 1781 & 1783). [** contains a wet July!]
[ However, note also that this period contained some notably wet years/summers!]1779 (January to March)The first three months of this year wereexceptionally dry by the EWP series. January 1779 was the 3rd driest January inthat series, February 8th driest, and March 7th driest. In all, under 20% ofthe average rainfall was assessed by the EWP set.
Exceptionally warm February in particular: by the CET series, the warmestFebruary in that series with a value of 7.9degC. March was in the 'top-10' ofwarmest such named months. Also 'fine, warm and mild' in Scotland. [ NB: thewinter 1778/79 was also mild, which is unusual, because we (early 21st century)have become used to mild winters/early springs being associated with wetseasons.]1779 (late Summer/early Autumn) Warm, or very warm through July, August andSeptember,but see note below & elsewhere.
Lambeth recorded 6.5 inches of rain (~165mm) in July 1779; this is aconsiderable amount above the local average - something around 275%.(LW) Usingthe wider EWP series, the total was 149mm (roughly 250% of the mean), and itjust comes into the 'top-10' of wettest Julys in that series: the rainfall wasobviously excessive over a wider area of England & Wales.1779After the notably dry start (see above),it turned out to be a rather wet year, with a wet summer (see above) - thoughLW notes the August as being 'fine & warm'.1779/80 (Winter)Severe winter (London/South).
Coldest winter in the series 1764/65 to 1962/63 at Edinburgh, Scotland.
Using the CET series for lowland England, the anomaly for the three 'standard'winter months of December, January & February was -2.3C on the all-seriesmean. January 1780 was particularly cold with a CET value of -0.9degC (-4Canomaly).1780: (Annual)
A notably dry year by the EWP series - inthe 'top-5' by that measure (at 2002). (See also 1788, 1854, 1887 & 1921);
a dry/warm summer (London/South).
Fog on 10 days in August (London/South).1781Heavy thunderstorm on 17th February.
1781: (March): An exceptionally dry month in the EWP series. 5.6mm of raincredited, the driest March in the series, and in the 'top 5' driest *any-month*in that series. Coming after a notably dry year (1780/q.v.) and a dry winter,the lack of rainfall during this 'sowing-out' month must have hit agriculturehard.
A dry year; a notably warm summer (London/South & more generally acrossEngland & Wales). Remarkably warm by the CET series June, July &August.1781 (Summer)In Scotland, (in contrast to note above),the summer was cold & dry: grass & corn failed to grow properly.1782 (February & March) Aberdeenshire: snow began to fall inearnest on 1st February, with a 'good deep storm on the ground' by the 8th. Thesnow continued to fall thereafter, with hard frosts, so that by the 14thFebruary, 'it was computed 8 inches over all (circa 20cm). The hard, persistentfrost was also noted at Forres, Morayshire - here it is said to have began onthe 1st February & continued for 8 weeks, i.e. throughout March.
By the 1st March, much of the earlier snow in Scotland had disappeared from thelowlands, but with plenty remaining on the hills. Mixed weather came to an endon the 10th, with a return of widespread snow to north and south of Scotlandalike. On the 11th, it is reported that there was a 'great' fall of snow, whichcontinued at least 12 hours. Aberdeenshire again badly affected, with snowrecorded every day between the 12th & 28th. Snowfall, with depths ofbetween 2 and 3ft [~ 1m ] also noted at Forres, Morayshire. 1782 (April & May) Wettest such pair of months in the EWPseries. Total=281mm. (see also 1983 & 2000). In particular, April was thewettest such-named month in the EWP series (until 2000 q.v.). 112.5mm recordedfor this month in Oxford (Radcliffe Observatory?).
6th April (Scotland): A late 'storm' of snow in the West Highlands provingfatal for large numbers of sheep. Heavy snow was also noted fromNorthamptonshire [English east Midlands] during April.1782 (Annual & individual)A wet year with a wet summer (in London).The equal 10th wettest year in the EWP series, with 1109mm (=with 1789).Amongst the wet months that year were: January, April (139mm/wettest April inseries), May (142mm/2nd wettest May in series), July, August (151mm/6th wettestAugust in series) and September.
1782: (January): Three floods in 10 days noted at Forres, Morayshire.
April & May: wettest such pair of months in the EWP series. Total=281mm.(see also 1983 & 2000)
In Scotland, for the second year in a row, the season was 'cold & backward'such that unripened corn was buried by the snow that fell in October.1782 (September
& October) A great fall of snow across NE Scotland(" the black aughty-twa ") on September 15th & again on October31st - oat crops ruined and it was Christmas before the crop was cut - and eventhen it was only fit for cattle feed. The resultant dearth of food led the Dukeof Gordon to give his tenants a rebate on rents, or extended time to paythem. Summer 1783 to late winter1783/84Icelandic volcanic eruption (Laki):Primary eruptions (five) from June 8th to July 8th, 1783(60% of the totalvolume of ejection), but minor eruptions occurred until early February, 1784. Amajor event, with huge production of sulphur & acid products, as well asthe largest production of lava in recorded history. The majority of emissionsare thought to have been confined to the troposphere, but the initial ejectionsof each of the five major events did penetrate the tropopause and entered thestratosphere. The intense period of eruption tallied with contemporary reportsacross Europe of a blue haze or dry-fog in the atmosphere, damage to vegetationand occurrence of respiratory problems (later analysis suggests that themortality due to the sulphur-based haze was counted in tens of thousands dead):the effects noted at the time throughout summer & autumn. These effects areconsistent with increased atmospheric loading of acid aerosols, particularlysulphates. Because of the (suspected) lack of major stratospheric impact, thereis controversy surrounding this event: For Iceland itself, the following winter(1783/84) was known as the 'Famine Winter': 25% of the population died (manyfrom wet and dry deposition of acidic pollutants). Note, there is still someargument as to whether this led to changes to the regional/European climate inthe years 1783, 1784 etc., and / or by how much. late Winter / early Spring1783/1784January to April 1784 ... notably cold,and persistently so by CET series. In particular, the winter (1783 December -1784 February) CET=1.2degC, some 2.5C below the all-series average. The Thameswas completely frozen in February and traffic crossed on the ice. (LW)
In Scotland, the period around and after Christmas was bitterly cold with a'violent' easterly storm 25th/26th December, which caused havoc along theScottish east coast, and brought a large amount of snow which driftedsignificantly.
(NB: the following winter/1784-85 was also about 1degC colder than average.This has been attributed to the Laki eruption event but there is some doubtabout this - see above.)
2nd/3rd January: Scotland - a severe snowstorm affecting at least the Aberdeenarea, with much drifting. Drifts were reported to have reached around 5 or 6metres in Aberdeenshire, seriously dislocating travel. Houses all down theeastern side of Scotland were unroofed, rocks were blown into harbours on theeast coast, and stacks of corn & hay were carried away. Reports fromEdinburgh suggest that widespread bad conditions occurred elsewhere.Summer 17831. Hot dry weather set in during Juneafter continual rains. The fine weather was marred until 20th July or later bypersistent thick smoky haze and pall, apparently from an Iceland volcano [ seeabove ]. Overall though, noted as a 'warm' summer (London/South).
2. July 1783 was a notably warm month (in the CET series), not only for Julybut for any summer month. The value of 18.8degC represents an anomaly of +2.9Cover the all-series mean, placing it second warmest in the July lists, and alsomaking it the fourth warmest any named month in that series (whichstarts in 1659.) [ The other summer months, June and August, wereabove-average, but by half-a-degree or less, so nothing special. ]
3. A 'high-summer' noteworthy for it's thunderstorm activity. There is apossible link with the high pollution (atmospheric aerosols) due to the 'Laki'eruption.1783 (autumn)Foggy 26th September to 6th October(London/South).1783/84 & 1784/85 (Winters)Two successive severe winters occurred inthese years; in both winters the Thames was completely frozen for a shortperiod, with navigation affected for much longer periods. In 1783/84, almostcontinuous frost from late December 1783 to late February 1784. In 1784/85,frost/snow from early December 1784 to early January 1785, most of February andduring the first half of March.
Regarding the winter of 1784/85 in particular, in East Anglia (& morewidely), the 'winter' season was regarded as extending from the first fall ofsnow in October (7th) to that which fell on April 4th. The whole period (apartfrom 12 days in January) had been frosty. Reports from southern Scotland alsomake mention of 'remarkable' snow & drifts during the winter, with theSpring notably frosty. Other reports from London & the south (LW) note a'severe winter'. Frost & snow from early December to early January, most ofFebruary and during the first half of March. The Thames frozen solid at timesand traffic crossed on the ice.
The mean CET for the extended 'winter' period of December 1784 to March 1785inclusive, was 1.3degC, nearly 3C below the all-series mean for that four-monthperiod. In fact January 1785 in this series was just above average, so it couldhave been even worse!
[ This has been attributed to the Laki eruption event but there is some doubtabout this - see above.]1784-1786Three successive cold years; heavy snowfell on the 25th October 1784 and there was snow on the 26th & 29th October1785.1784 (Annual & Summer)In this cold year (in the 'top-10 coldestyears in the CET record - see below), the summer was wet in London/South; sleetobserved near coast of the Moray Firth in August & heavy snow (?London) onthe 25th October.
1784 was a notably cold year; with a CET value of 7.8degC, this year fallswithin the 'top-10' of coldest years in this series (since 1659), and isapproximately 2C below the modern-day average. In particular, the summer wasconsistently chilly. Each summer month (JJA) had a CET anomaly of at least(minus)0.5C, and August had an anomaly of -1.6C on the whole-series mean.
(The 1780's were one of the coldest decades in the CET series & thisyear was the coldest within those 10 years. There was a notable sequence ofthree cold years, 1784-1786, where the annual mean for each year was over 1Cbelow the modern-day average.) 1784 (October) Following a dry September (EWP=41mm/~50%LTA), October 1784 was exceptionally dry using this same series, with a valueof 16 mm, representing roughly 18% of the average, and placing it third driestfor the month of October across England & Wales.
Not only was it notably dry but it was cold; the CET value is quoted as7.8degC, which gives an anomaly of roughly -2C on the all-series average. Snowfell in Suffolk on the 7th, at the start of a remarkably cold & dry spellthat lasted right through the winter and spring of 1784/85. January 1785 Over Scotland, around the middle twoweeks of January, some severe snowstorms, followed by prolonged frosts -lasting into May in some areas. (Not necessarily continuous though!)1784 December to 1785 JuneNotably dry during this period. Less than50% of the average rainfall over these 7 months, and includes the exceptionallydry months of March 1785 (19mm) and April 1785 (10mm/6th driest April in theseries). Great distress to Agriculture by the spring / early summer 1785, withspring-sowing failing due to lack of moisture & cattle having to be eitherkilled or fed on sub-standard supplies. [ The drought even more severe inFrance. ]
1785: (March)Very cold: CET=1.2 degC, the secondcoldest March in the series. 1785: (Annual)One of the driest years across England& Wales (using the EWP series) - into the 'top-10' using that measure.
Cold year: snow on the 26th & 29th October (?London).November 17851st: Tornado damage inNottinghamshire.1786A cold year: A dry summer (London/South).
Autumn (September to November), was persistently cold (based on the CETseries). All three months had anomalies (w.r.t. modern values) between -2 &-3.5C, & November 1786 was equal-tenth (with 1923, 1919, 1740 & 1746)coldest such-named month in the series with a CET value of 3.3degC. For theautumn overall, the average CET of 7.5degC is nearly 3C below the 1971-2000average for autumn.1786 (September)14th/15th September, 1786: Major stormaffected much of the British Isles (but perhaps not Scotland) - destroyedhouses, overturned coaches/wagons & killed many people. Many trees in thesouth of England were 'torn up by their roots', with the New Forestspecifically mentioned. Ships were driven ashore and damaged or destroyed, withdeaths of sailors the result. Lamb thinks that the strongest winds (possiblygusts to 80 knots) occurred in a broad belt across the English Midlands, andthe wind may have been 'unusually squally'. 1786/87 (winter)Notaby mild in Scotland. (Severe/coldwinters were common at this time - so quite unusual). December was wet &stormy according to an Aberdeen paper, without much frost/snow. The remarkablymild weather affected much of January - temperatures by day in Kelso forexample rising to 5 to 10 degC from late December until mid-January. Februaryalso noted as being without 'harsh' weather.1788A dry year (London/South). The driestyear in the EWP series with 612mm of rain; this represents roughly two-thirdsof the all-series mean. [Other dry years: 1921 & 1887 q.v.]. Includes thedriest December in the EWP series, with a value of just 9 mm averaged overEngland & Wales. From records in the London area (quoted in 'LondonWeather'), both South Lambeth and Somerset House failed to record any rainduring December.June 178828th: probably the wettest day everrecorded in Suffolk.1788/89 (Winter)30th November 1788 - earliest known caseof a long unbroken frost began on this date, lasting until early January 1789.Although the winter overall didn't stand out as regards severity, December, andto a lesser extent January, were bitterly cold. The CET value for December 1788was -0.3degC, some 4.4C below the 'all-series' mean for that month, and forJanuary 1789, the value of 1.5degC was nearly 2C below the 'all-series' mean.December 1788 in particular is comfortably in the 'top-5' of coldest Decembersin the CET series. The Thames was completely frozen during this severe winter(implying a persistence of sub-zero temperatures) and a frost fair was held onthe river, with the usual reports of sports / pastimes etc. "Deepsnow" is noted in contemporary reports, diaries etc. (In the London area,the 'hard frost' is noted as having lasted from the 25th November, 1788 to the14th January, 1789.(LW)
The combination of the extreme drought of 1788 (q.v.) & the bitter, frostyconditions, meant that water was in very short supply in the winter of 1788/89;much 'profiteering' as small quantities of water were sold for highprices.1789A wet summer (in London). Probably the10th wettest year (equal with 1782) in the EWP series: in particular, May toJuly of that year was a particularly wet period, with a total rainfall forthose three months of around 350mm (EWP), representing roughly 180% of themean. This was of course in marked contrast to the previous (notably dry) year- see 1788.
(This was only beaten for these three months by 2007 / 415 mm May, June &July q.v.)1789/90 (winter)Very mild winter in Scotland. December1789 began with mild, dry weather from the south-west followed by a mixture offrost and 'fresh' days, with some snow about. Frost at the beginning of Januarywas certainly hard enough to stop ploughing, but fine, fresh weather returnedfrom the south on 6th January and continued for the next three weeks. Februarycontinued in similar vein, with winds generally from the southwest.
(However, winter 'arrived' in April, with severe frosts andfrequent snowfall; (see below.)
[ Also a mild winter England & Wales, with an anomaly forthe three 'winter' months of +2C.] 1790 (January)Fog on 22 days in January(London/South).1790 (April)After a notably mild winter (see above),'winter' weather set in with a vengeance in Scotland. Intense cold withfrequent hail / snow, with snowfall in the hills more like January than April.Great deal of snow on the 12th with intense cold. Similar on the 15th, withfurther snowfall in Scotland. The CET value was 6.1degC, around 1.8C below theall-series mean; this month was colder than February or March this year.1790 (June)Temperature of 91degF (33 degC) on 22ndJune (London??)1790 (December) December 23rd: a severe storm of rain,hail & thunder with very vivid and long flashes of lightning. It extended(reportedly) over the greater part of England & Ireland. Much damage wasdone to shipping and to houses in London, Windsor, Colchester etc. 1791 (February)February 2nd, a notably high tideaccompanied by high winds led to flooding down many east English coastal areas.Specifically, we have notes of flooding in Westminster ('Lawyers were ferry'dinto Westminster Hall'), Ipswich, and other coastal areas of Lincolnshire, EastAnglia & Kent. (LW/Earl Soham). 1791 (June)On the 12th June 1791 (also the 2nd June1975), snow fell in London (and elsewhere across southern England), but meltedoff almost immediately. [With these older reports, we always have to considerthe possibility of mis-reporting soft hail etc. June 1791 is not noted as beinga particularly cold month - indeed, by the CET series, it was slightly aboveaverage as far as the all-month temperature goes. However, in that other famousexample, 2nd June, 1975, the cold start, with snow, turned rapidly to a fine,warm type thereafter q.v.]1792 (summer)A wet summer (in London).1792 (December) According to Lamb, the month of December, 1792is remarkable for the frequency with which gales and storm-force winds werereported from many parts of Europe, including the areas adjacent to the NorthSea. The upper-air pattern must have been greatly developmental with a verystrong jet persisting.
Amongst the notable storms that Lamb (& others) analysed for this month areincluded: 5th (Southern North Sea), 7th/8th (whole North Sea), 10th-12th (wholeNorth Sea) and 19th-23rd (eventually the whole of the North Sea). 1792 (Annual) This was a wet year (~120% of long-termaverage), with a particularly wet spell from July to September, the lattermonth being 9th in the 'wettest' list (for Septembers) in the EWP. 1793A dry summer (London/South).January 1794 A 'remarkable' snowstorm swept the southwest ofScotland beginning on the 23rd January 1794. It came to be known locally as the'Gonial Blast' because of the extraordinary number of sheep that werekilled, in addition to the deaths of many of the shepherds attending.[gonial/goniel=mutton of sheep]{'Weather': Vol49/p415,416}
The following is a report written after the event: " there is a placecalled the Beds of Esk, where the tide throws out and leaves whatever iscarried into it by the rivers. When the flood after the storm subsided, therewas found on that place and shores adjacent, one thousand eight hundred andforty sheep, nine black cattle, three horses, two men, one woman, forty-fivedogs and one hundred and eighty hares, beside a number of meaner animals." 1794 (summer)A dry, warm summer(London/South).1794 (Autumn)A very wet season over England &Wales (by the EWP series): The anomaly over the three months September, October& November was ~140%. In Norwich specifically, 'excessive rains inSeptember, October & November occasioned a flood of the lower parts of thecity; boats were rowed in several streets, and the water was from 2 to 3 feetdeep in many houses. 1794/95 (winter & earlyspring)The winter of 1794/95 was exceptionallysevere, with the very cold conditions setting in on Christmas Eve 1794 (thoughit had been cold since November). The frost then lasted, with some breaks,until late March. The cold was most intense during January, with resulted inthe coldest January (and the coldest 'any-month') in the instrumental era (asassessed by CET measure/series begins 1659). The February value of 0.8degC was3.0C below the long-term mean. On the 23rd, the Severn was frozen and so wasthe Thames, with the usual 'frost fairs' being set up there. On the 25thJanuary, an extreme temperature of (minus) 21 degC (converted from degF) wasrecorded at an unspecified location in England, though some references givethis as 'London'(**).
A rapid but temporary thaw, accompanied by heavy rain began on the 7thFebruary(##). This resulted in much flooding across large areas of (at least)England - extensive damage to bridges. The severe cold returned after February12th, and (as noted above), continued well into March. Snow was noted onseveral occasions between 13th February & 2nd March at Syon House, then ahighly rural location on the north (Middlesex) shore of the Thames, oppositeKew Gardens. The snow events were accompanied by 'easterly' winds &anticyclonic type positioned to the north.
In Scotland, it was the seventh coldest winter at Edinburgh in the series1764/65 - 1962/63. {coldest 1779/80} Frequent heavy snowfall reported from manyplaces in Scotland during January 1795, with transport severely disrupted.
**[There are considerable doubts surrounding the exact valuehere; one interpretation of the original value is that it represented -38degF,representing -39degC. This would be extreme indeed, and given that temperatureswere often read inside unheated rooms at this time, and that the likelylocation was London (albeit a fraction of it's current size), -39degC is in myview far too low.]
##The problem was one of melting snow plus heavy rain, on top of frozen ground(which takes some time to thaw out after an extended very cold winter), coupledto a wet previous autumn: the autumn of 1794 averaged over England & Waleshad around 140-150% of 'normal' rainfall, with much of the excess 'locked up'in the ground by early severe frosts from November onwards. There are manycontemporary reports of buildings of 'every description' being swept away;bridges, canals, turnpikes etc., being rendered unusable. Many lives lost. Evensome of the 'great' country houses of the land were 'mid-leg deep in Water',with tales of people passing from room to room in boats. February 1795Thames flood in mid-February (inLondon).April & May 1795 April brought significant flooding afterthe snow of the winter (see above), and May brought more snow. On the 15th May(calendar uncertain), snow lay about a foot (30cm) deep in Aberdeenshire, andthick layers of ice covered the rivers. 1795 (September) A remarkable September! It was both oneof the wrmest Septembers on record, with a CET value of 16.0 degC (nearly 3Cabove the all-series mean), and in the 'top-5' of warmest such-named months. Itwas also very dry with an EWP value of just 13 mm, placing it also in the'top-5' of dry such-named months. Indeed, at Somerset House (London), only 0.08ins of rain was recorded, or roughly 2 mm. 1795A dry year; Hot & dry in September(London/South).1795/96 (winter)One of the warmest winters (by CET) inthe series which began in 1659. Up to 1997, rank=7 Value=6.20; Dec=6.6,Jan=7.3, Feb=4.7 (Others: 1686, 1734, 1834, 1869, 1935, 1975, 1989 and1990.)1796A dry year; a dry summer(London/South).December 1796Very severe frost in London on the 25th:-21degC in Marylebone, -19degC in Mayfair. Thames frozen.
Although the winter overall did not stand out as regards low temperatures,December in particular, using the CET record, was amongst the five coldestsuch-named months in that record (since 1659), and included a bitterly coldspell around Christmas. The temperature in London on Christmas Eve was noted as~(minus)21degC, and Christmas Day was intensely cold, with the Thamesfrozen.1796/97 (winter)A notably stormy season.1797Fog daily 16th - 28th February(London/South).
A wet summer (in London). A rather wet summer generally across England &Wales. According to Lamb (in CHMW), the anomaly was 140% of LTA(1916-1950).1798 (late spring)Persistently warm weather through April,May and June by CET series.1798/99 (Winter)Severe frost late December to earlyJanuary (London/South).
Frequent, heavy snowfalls affecting at least eastern and central Scotland, fromlast third of December onwards. Much transport dislocation in late 1798, andagain from late January 1799 onwards. (No details for elsewhere in the UK.)
A notably severe winter over western Europe / implied much of Britain (Easton,in CHMW/Lamb).
Early February, 1799 (probably 1st to 3rd), an Edinburgh paper noted that'these 3 days past, intense frost, accompanied by heavy snow, with a stronggale from the NE. All communication with the country (Scotland) will beinterrupted.' Similar story from Aberdeen for these days, there reporting snow'for eight days past' i.e. from late January. A 'strong gale' from the NEcaused much drifting. Later, on the 7th, a great fall of snow interruptedcommunications, and a 'great storm of snow' in the Edinburgh area on the nightof the 8th is reported: newspapers on the 9th confirmed the extreme effectsfrom as far north as Banff. Road completely blocked by blowing snow.1799 (spring)March to May: persistently cold weatherby CET series. In particular, the CET value for March (3.4degC) and April(5.4degC) were some 2 to 2.5 degC below average. From records in Devon(Moretonhampstead), winds were often from between north and east. Snow alsooften noted. From records in Kendal (Westmorland / Cumbria), we have . ."No vegetation in the fields, nor blossoms upon the fruit trees, on the7th May, 1799. The skins of upwards of 10,000 lambs, which perished in thespring, were sold in this town. The weather was cold and wet all through theyear." June 179922nd June: beginning of long rainy spell:only 8 days without rain in a spell lasting until 17th November.
June 23rd: snowstorm, three feet (about 1m) depth in some places in uplandareas of NE Scotland.August 1799August 17th: severe southwesterly storm(with heavy rain) affected the West Country. A lot of damage reported fromagricultural property (loss of crops etc.), with the Corn crop particularlyaffected. Fruit also severely 'blown'. 1799 (Annual)Looking at the CET record, the year 1799 was within the 'top-20' of coldest years in that series [value=7.9/about -1.3C all-series anomaly](starts 1659), and for the 18th century specifically, it was beaten for low temperatures only by 1784 (7.8degC) & 1740 (6.8degC). 1800 to 1849DateDescriptionRef1800-1839 (40 years) These first 40 years of the 19th centuryoften contained references to excessive rainfall, floods etc. Using the EWPseries, the following years had precipitation %ages of roughly=/> 110% . . .1816, 1821, 1824, 1828, 1830, 1831 & 1839. In particular, 1828 & 1839(~120%) stand out, though even these don't appear in the 'top-10' of wettestyears in that series. There is evidence from London-area data that (as might beexpected) there were notable regional variations. For example, from theGreenwich series (LW), the wettest years in these four decades did NOT coincidewith the EWP set; for London, it appears that 1821 (~140%) and 1824 (~150%)captured the most rainfall, and two years (1817 & 1819), although not'notable' in the England/Wales-wide series, were wet in the London/SE area.
However, as always with such sweeping statements, there werenotable exceptions! The following years and / or seasons are noted as being'dry' during these first 40 years of the 19th century:
>1800 - A dry summer.
>1802 - A dry year.
>1807 - A dry year & a dry summer.
>1818 - A long, dry & hot summer. (see below)
>1825 - A dry summer. A notable hot spell in July.
>1826 - A warm summer. (see below)
>1827 - A dry summer.
>1835 - A dry summer.
>1840 - A dry year; a dry summer. First 40 yr. of 19th C.Often wet in London, with 8 years wet(1816, 1817, 1819, 1821, 1824, 1828, 1831 & 1839), with 1821 & 1824being 'outstandingly' wet. 10 wet summers noted: just 3 'dry' years in thisperiod noted: 1802, 1807 & 1840.
There were 7 severe winters in this period: 1813/14, 1815/16, 1819/20, 1822/23,1829/30, 1837/38 & 1840/41. There was a great deal of ice on the Thamesduring most of these winters, but the ice does not seem to have beenstrong/thick enough for people to walk from one side to the other.
1809-1819: After a relatively benign period from 1790 (several warm summers& less cold winters), these years saw a return to often harsh winters &unsettled, cold & wet summers. The decade from 1810-1819 was the coldest inEngland since the 1690's. Lamb (CHMW) ascribes this reversal to a renewal ofvolcanic activity. [ It is generally thought that the works of Charles Dickenstake the character of the weather from this less than perfect period, e.g. theoften-quoted snow / frost in such as 'A Christmas Carol' & 'The PickwickPapers'.] 1800A dry summer (London/South).1802A dry year (London/South).1805A wet summer (in London).1807A dry year; a dry summer(London/South).1807 (December)Fog daily 17th - 21st December(London/South).1808 (January) Northwesterly (?) gale affects eastcoast of England. Serious flooding East Anglian marshes (significant breach issea walls), with loss of farming stock and damage to ships, onshore etc.1808: (February) 12th: Significant snowstorm (heavy snow /high winds) affects East Anglia / East of England fens. Dislocation to movementfor "several days". This was followed in the days after by a 'veryintense frost'. July 18081. Notably warm month (using the CETseries since 1659). With a value of 18.4degC, it is in the 'top-10' ofsuch-named months for warmth. In particular, there was a hot spell from the12th to the 15th, with a peak around the 13th/14th, when the CET dailytemperature (i.e. average of 24hr maximum & minimum) climbed to just over24degC. Studies since that date have shown that individual day maxima were wellabove 25degC (possibly to 28degC) in the West of England; up to (almostcertainly over) 32degC in London & possibly as high as 34degC in Kingstonupon Hull (ER Yorkshire): however caution is required with all these values dueto the differing instruments, exposure, accuracy of recording etc. It wasundoubtedly a very hot spell though, as deaths (people & animals) from heatexhaustion were recorded, particularly from the agricultural areas in the eastand north of England. One report at the time (from farm records in the easternFens), says that the temperature in the shade near London was 96 (degF), whichconverts to just over 35degC: the same reference notes that this spell is the"hottest day ever known in Eng'd … the Hot Sunday in 1790 was only 83Deg". [ NB: August 1808 also reasonably warm, with anomaly circa + 1degC.]
2. 13th: 'Hot Wednesday': shade temperatures 33 to 35degC in E. and SE England,37degC (99degF) reported in Suffolk (exposure & instrument details unknown. . see 1. above).
3. Damaging hailstorm affected counties in SW England afternoon / evening ofthe 15th (presumably as the hot spell above was breaking down), primarilyaffecting Dorset, Somerset & Gloucestershire. The storm first hit areas inthe Sherborne / Templecombe area late afternoon then moved (or developed)NNW'wards to reach Bristol mid-evening. From reports at the time, the diameterof much of the hail was of the order 11 cm, with much damage being recorded -including injury & death to people in the open. If these reports arecorrect, then this 1808 hailstorm (according to Colin Clark / 'Weather' July2004), produced the largest hail diameters for Britain known (along with thatfor 1697).1808/09 (Christmas & NewYear)Fog daily 24th December to 2nd January(London/South). Further fog on 7 days later in January. January 1809A flood occurred, which may have beentidal in the lower reaches of the Thames, carried away bridges at Eton,Deptford and Lewisham. Flooding noted at Windsor. Highest flood level (as at2003) on the upper River Thames recorded at Shillingford Wharf (47.25m aboveOD). After a cold / frosty period, during which the ground became thoroughlyfrozen, rain fell on the 19th January, which itself froze, plus a period ofsnow. Then on the 24th, what is described as 'intense' rainfall, coupled withsnowmelt produced a rapid rise in the waters of the Thames over the near-solidsurface. A major flood was the result, causing much damage (which may have beenaggravated by an above-average high tide in the lower reaches of the Thames),which amongst other things took away the central arch of Wallingford Bridge,part of the old Bridge at Wheatley, and damaged or destroyed bridgesdownstream, e.g. at Bisham, Eton & Windsor. flood damage also specificallynoted at Deptford & Lewisham. Has been dubbed by some: "The GreatThames Flood". It wasn't a particularly wet winter, but the combination ofsnow/frozen ground and high-intensity rainfall was more than poor flood defenceschemes (if they existed) could cope with.
26th: SW gale and a rapidly rising temperature in Scotland after a snowstormended a severe frost period with easterly winds which began in December1808.26th April 1809Thames in flood at various points(specifically noted at Windsor).1809 (October)Fog on 11 days, with thick fog last 3days (London/South).January 181010 days of fog in London.October 1810Fog on 5 days (London/South).
Snow on the 30th (London??).November 1810Easterly gale: sea floods around Boston,Lincolnshire.1810 (December) What is thought to be Britain's strongesttornado (known / accepted) occurred in December 1810. A category of"T8" (on a ten-point scale) has been assigned to it; 14th December,1810 at Old Portsmouth (Hampshire). From the TORRO web site . . . "tracked from Old Portsmouth to Southsea Common (Hampshire) causing immensedamage - although no deaths, it is believed. Some houses completely levelledand many others were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished; chimneyswere blown down and the lead on a bank roof was 'rolled up like a piece ofcanvas and blown from its situation' ". Jan 1811Thames frozen over.May, 1811Thunderstorms on 9 days in May in theLondon area.1811 (September)Fog on 7 days (London/South).March 1812Snow fell 1 foot (circa 30cm) deep aboutEdinburgh, followed by drifting in NE gale 21st to 23rd. 1812 (Spring, Summer & Autumn) 1. Spring & Summer 1812 were notablycold. The anomaly for both seasons on the whole-series (CET) mean was around-1.5C, with March, April, June, July & August having anomalies in excess of-1C. April 1812 was unusually cold, with a CET value of 5.5degC (-2.4C) &thus one of the 'top-dozen' or so cold such-named months. It was the coldestSpring since 1799, and it was not to as cold again in Spring until 1837, thoughin this latter year, the summer was warm. By contrast, 1812 experienced one ofthe coldest summers across England & Wales using the CET series (began1659).
2. In addition to the extended cold, rainfall was often excessive. The monthsof February & March 1812 experienced EWP anomalies of 177% & 150%respectively, which with the cold ground, would have had a severe effect on thegermination of crops sown, or about to be sown. Indeed, although April wasdrier than average, May, June and July were all wet (averaging ~135%), sosowing may have been impossible on heavier soils.
3. The backwardness of the crops, plus the extended wet/cold weather (withprobably a lack of sunshine, though there are no contemporary records forthis), meant that the harvest that year was also delayed, as well as being of alow yield. From records in Yorkshire, the harvest began around 20th September,and was not finished until the second week of November (Wintringham ParishRegister). 1813/1814 (winter)1. One of the four or five coldestwinters in the CET record. See also 1683/84; 1739/40 and 1962/63. Particularlycold January to March: CET values, with anomalies ref. 1961-90 averages: Jan:-2.9(-6.7), Feb: 1.4(-2.4), Mar: 2.9(-2.8): We had to wait until 1962/63 forcomparable, extended cold periods, in particular for the January values. Thelast time that the 'tidal' River Thames froze over sufficiently to hold 'frostfairs' etc. The activities surrounding the fair lasted well into February, butaround 5th/6th February, a thaw set in and the ice started to break up, helpedby rain: some people were drowned and many booths were destroyed. The loose icedid much damage to shipping of all sizes on the river. (After this time, theremoval of the old London Bridge in 1831, plus other work enabled the Thames toincrease it's flow, and freezing of the tidal stretches has not occurredsince.) Most commentators say this was the 'last great frost fair' held on theThames. The greatest frost of the 19th century commenced on the 27th December1813; the onset of the frost was accompanied by thick fog.
2. Probably one of the snowiest winters in these islands in the last 300 years(1947 comparable). Much disruption in January in particular due to the snow.Reports from Perth (Scotland) spoke of low temperatures in the first week ofJanuary: by the end of the week, snow was falling in Aberdeenshire and a fewdays later reports from Kelso (Borders) spoke of heavy snow blocking roads toEdinburgh. By Monday, 17th January, the storm had become so severe that thenewspapers opined that this storm was the worst since 1795. In Dublin, thesnowfall was so severe that people were trapped inside their houses, and it isreported that Canterbury (Kent) was cut off for at least six days.
Heavy snow fell during the period 3rd to 5th January, 1814 and this wasfollowed by a temporary thaw which only lasted one day; the frost then returned(often severe over snow cover) and persisted until the 5th February. The Thameswas frozen solid from 31st January to 5th February and a frost fair was held onthe river; a thaw took place between 5th and 7th February and the drifting icedamaged shipping considerably. [Note also that other rivers had iceproblems, such as the Mersey & the Severn - the Thames always gets theheadlines! Mention in chronicles of skating at Bristol and horses being riddenover these rivers: no doubt others in the country were similarly affected.]
In addition to the heavy frost, fog was an additional hazard, which commenced(in London) on the 26th/27th December, and only lifted on the 3rd January,1814. On the 27th December, the fog was so dense (under 20 yards/metres) thatthe Prince Regent (later George IV), who was on his way to visit the Marquis ofSalisbury at Hatfield House, near St. Albans, had to turn back at Kentish Townand return to Carlton House. This short journey took several hours and one ofthe Prince Regent's outriders fell into a ditch at Kentish Town. The fog wasstill dense on the 28th December and on that night the Maidenhead coach, whichwas returning from London, lost its way and overturned. Dense fog continued on29th December and the Birmingham mail coach took nearly 7 hours to go fromLondon to just past Uxbridge (west Middlesex). Traffic was almost at astandstill in London on the nights of 30th and 31st December; many coachmen hadto lead their horses and others only drove at a walking pace. Only pedestrianswho knew the locality well dared venture forth, and even some of them losttheir way. The fog was finally cleared by a cold northerly wind, accompanied byheavy snow, which set in on the 3rd January 1814 (though Lamb in ref. 6 saysthis occurred 5th/6th). 1814 & 1816These years were as cold, if not colderthan, 1695. The 'Frost Fair' in February of 1814 is thought to be the last heldon the Thames in London (1st to 4th). The summer of 1814 was cold: This year,together with that of 1816 (q.v.), were two of the coldest years in the CETrecord (began 1659). The value for 1814 was 7.7degC, which places it within the'top-10' of all-series cold years.
1816 is famously known as 'the year without a summer': in this latter year,heavy snow fell all day on the 14th April, and snow fell on the 12thMay.June 1815The May and June of 1815 were veryunsettled, and marked by high rainfall totals across the Low Countries. Inparticular, the heavy rain-storms in the lead up to, and immediately prior tothe Battle of Waterloo (17th/18th) across Belgium may have been a contributoryfactor in the defeat of the Napoleonic French forces - the French cavalry inparticular finding it difficult to traverse the rain-sodden ground.1815/16 (winter)A severe winter(London/South).1816 & 1817Two wet years, with wet summers - inLondon. 1816 (Spring) Whether linked to the volcanic eruption(Tambora/q.v. below) of the previous year or not, spring of 1816 had an overallanomaly (on the whole-series mean) of greater than -1C; snow is reported tohave fallen 'all day' on Easter Sunday (14th April, quite late) in the 'London'area, with further snow reported on the 12th May. 1816 (Annual / Summer): THE 'YEAR WITHOUTA SUMMER' A violent volcanic eruption of Tambora,in the East Indies (Sumbawa island / modern-day Indonesia) in April of 1815,threw enormous amounts of dust & sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere,which spread around the globe, not only cutting out direct insolation, butleading to a distortion of the global wind circulation [via stratospheric /high tropospheric temperature changes]. In Europe, grain harvests were late,and in western areas of Britain and across Ireland, continuous rain / lowtemperatures led to total failure of crops with much distress.
Notably cold periods June to September). In particular, summer 1816 had a CETvalue of just 13.4degC, putting it firmly in the top 2 or 3 coldest summers bythat measure.
The annual (estimated) CET for 1816=7.9degC, about 1.3degC belowthe 'all-series' mean. (NB: however, that Scotland was apparently drier/sunnierthan elsewhere - this is taken to imply depressions taking a much moresouthward path. ) [ See also 1883/Krakatoa ] September & October 18162nd September: Sharp frost: ice on waternear London (Luke Howard) .. this in early September remember!!: (This wasdescribed as 'the year without a summer' - see above; there were snowdriftsstill on Helvellyn, Lake District, on the 30th July. )
After the cold, cheerless summer & early autumn [above], on October 20th,local accounts covering NE Scotland note ' a great hurricane & snowstorm.The stooks of corn were yet out in the fields, and the snow had to be cast toget at them; when dug out they were a frozen lump, and could not be thawed forthe cattle '. 1817 (Summer) A wet summer across England & Wales.(according to Lamb, in CHMW). The anomaly is given as 149% of LTA (1916-1950).
1817 was also a 'bad' year across Scotland - with early (i.e. autumnal) frostsdamaging / delaying the autumn harvest & much hardship in rural / highlandareas.]
[ It may be that this obviously cyclonic type was a consequenceof the cold, disturbed patterns induced by the Tambora event .. see above.]1817 (September)Fog on 7 days in September(London/South).January 1818Severe westerly gale damaged buildings inEdinburgh; repeated SW-NW gale on the 14th/15th.March 1818Very severe gales caused much damage on 4th,7th & 8th March.
Notably wet across England & Wales (using the EWP series). 1818 (summer)The summer was claimed to be the longest,driest & warmest in living memory. (?London/South) Overall, using the CETseries, the anomaly for the three summer months (JJA) was +1.3C, with June(16.4degC/+2.1C) & July (18.2degC/+2.3C) notably warm. However, August wasslightly cooler than average, with an anomaly of -0.3C. It was certainly a dryseason, with an EWP figure of 102mm representing ~50% of the all-series mean.At Greenwich, only 40mm of rain was recorded over these three months, withAugust particularly dry: the value measured at the time (in inches) was0.1" (or 2.5mm). This remarkable summer was followed by a wetautumn.1819 (May) A period of severe frost affected largeareas of Britain around the end of the month, tentatively in the period 27th to30th (based on CET daily series). Considerable plant damage reported as farapart as the Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire), Rugby & several places inScotland. 1819 (October) Snow fell across southern England(including the London area) on the 22nd; amounts in London around 2 inches / 5cm reported, with greater amounts in the (then very) rural areas ofSurrey. 1819A wet year (in London).1819/20 (early to mid-winter & 'winter' half-year)Notably cold weather by CET series. BothDecember 1819 & January 1820 were notably cold (though not in the 'top-10'of such-named months), and the overall winter season figure of 1.4degCrepresented an anomaly of around -2.3C on the all-series mean and was rankedjust outside the top-20 of coldest winters by this measure. Perhaps of moreinterest, since this winter, there have only been 6 colder such-seasons viz(date order, with value): 1829/30(1.1), 1837/38(1.4), 1878/79(0.7),1894/95(1.2), 1946/47(1.1) & 1962/63(-0.3).
[ NB: February not nearly so cold.]
On the 21st/22nd October, 1819 - falls of snow across southern England: snowlay fairly deeply in Surrey (5cm reported in London) after a fall in the earlyhours of the 22nd probably as a result of a vigorous plunge of Arctic air.
Snow fell widely & heavily towards the end of December, particularlynotable on the 28th. During the first three weeks of January, a particularlysevere spell produced deep snow across many southern & southeasterncounties of England, including the Isle of Wight. The non-tidal Thames froze asfar downstream as Kew. There were ice floes in the Thames estuary, withshipping disrupted (very important to commerce in these pre-railway days).
At Tunbridge Wells (Kent) a temperature of (minus)23degC was reported, butthere are no details of exposure, instrument etc.('Weather Eye' / Issue 19 /Ian Currie)
Looking at the longer 'winter half-year' of 1819-1820 [October- March], then all months were COLDER than average with respect to the'all-series' means & notably so when compared with modern data: forexample, the monthly sequence of anomalies w.r.t. 1971-2000 averages is: -1.3C,-2.8C, -3.7C, -4.5C, -1.0C & -1.6C. January 1820Minus 23degC (-10degF) reported atTunbridge Wells - no details of exposure known.3rd March 1820During a report on a fire in Chatham it mentions "the strong north-westwardly wind which prevailed the day before, and which, during the night of the fire, blew a hurricane from the river Medway1820 (summer)A wet summer (in London).May 182127th: snow in London area. One of thelatest known, and possibly *the* latest until 2nd June 1975. (noted as lastingfor some 5 minutes).November & December 1821A wet couple of months (November andDecember 1821). Total EWP rainfall=307mm, or about 160% of average.By December, the Thames had risen so much that it flooded the church at Bisham,with a local bridge being washed away on the 26th December. The river was atit* highest on the 27th; it was noted at the time as being within 3 inches ofthe level of the significant floods of 1809. The flooding continued into theNew Year.1821 (December)Extremely low atmospheric pressurereading in London. At around 0500/25th, a reading of 948.7mbar (originally readin inches/to nearest 1/1000'th) was observed at Greenwich. Until at least 2006,this is the lowest known reading for the 'London' & SE area(Burt/'Weather'/January 2007).1821 (Annual)A wet year (in London).
A very wet year using the EWP series (across England & Wales). The %agevalue was ~115% of the whole-series mean. It was also a notably wet year in theLondon area (and by rough extension, the SE of England), where Greenwichrecorded 34.5 inches (~876 mm) of rain, representing at least 140% of thelong-term average. (LW) [ See also the general note at the head of the 1800s]1821/1822 (August - June)11 months with the CET values above theall-series average, with eight of them (September, November & December1821, January to March 1822 & May & June 1822) all >1C above theaverage & five of them (November, December, February, March & June)>2C above.
[ This extended period of warmth was sandwiched between anotably cold late spring/ early-mid summer of 1821 (anomaly ~ -1.6C) and thechilly 'high summer' of 1822. ]1821/1822 (Winter) Notably mild. The CET value was 5.8degC,some 2C above the all-series mean & in the top dozen-or-so mild winters inthis long established series.
Significant flooding along the Thames over the months of December &January: hardly surprising, given the excess of rainfall in the second-half of1821, with November & December (EWP) taken together seeing a figure of some150-160% of the long term average rainfall. Floods were reported from Henley,Maidenhead & Kingston-upon-Thames. (LW)
This winter was often stormy according to Lamb [see entry against February,below], and as noted above, was notably mild. 1822 (February)Severe gale did a great deal of damage on5th February (London/South?).1822/23 (Winter)The notably mild winter of 1821/22 (seeabove) was followed by a notably cold winter! The 3-month average for thisseason was 1.4degC, representing an anomaly of over -2C on the all-seriesmean.(CET). During this severe winter, there was much ice in the Thames atGreenwich by the 30th December.Feb. 18238th: Great snowstorm in N. England: theways subsequently opened by tunnelling through drifts.1823 (Summer) Using the CET series (began 1659), thissummer was one of the coldest by that measure across England &Wales. October to December 182331st October: gales.
Thames in flood at Windsor at the beginning of November.
Gales 17th December did great damage.1824A very wet year using the EWP series(across England & Wales). The %age value was ~113% of the whole-seriesmean. It was also a notably wet year in the London area (and by roughextension, the SE of England), where Greenwich recorded 36.3 inches (~922 mm)of rain, representing at least 150% of the long-term average. (LW)
[ See also the general note at the head of the 1800s ]
3rd March: Serious damage caused by gale (London/South).
Autumn: with an EWP value of 388mm (~150% of LTA), this Autumn is one ofthe dozen or so wettest such seasons in that series. A number of reports offlooding around the country.
On the evening of the 22nd November 1824, a vigorous depression, almostcertainly producing a significant storm surge, affected much of the south coastof England, with the high winds causing much damage well away from the coast. Anaval officer (variously recorded as being in either Portland [SW Dorset] orSidmouth [SE Devon]) likened the wind strength, and its effects in coastalareas, to that of a "West Indian hurricane": this may be one of theearliest uses of that name in connection with a 'mid-latitude'/extra-tropicalcyclone. Indeed in one report after the event, he is quoted as saying that thewind strengths were greater than a hurricane, though of course thelatter are variable anyway & it would depend upon his personal experience.[Ref & much more data:http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/chestorm.htm]1825 (February)Fog on 6 days in February (London/South).
4th/5th: major storm affecting the North Sea & adjacent coasts; the bulk ofthe problems (wind damage/storm surge) seems to have been a feature for thecontinental side of the Sea, but high winds would also have affected theScottish & English coastline, as a very strong gradient from the NNWdeveloped from the second-half of the 3rd February.1825 (summer)A dry summer - probably across a goodpart of Britain.
> July 1825 was exceptionally dry by the EWP series: with a value of just8.2 mm (~12% modern LTA), this is the driest July in the England & WalesPrecipitation [EWP] series (up to 2014 update), and the 10th driest anymonth in that series.
> With the extended drought (see above), it is not surprising that thismonth also experienced a hot spell; we only have records for the London &Home Counties area, but in central London (Somerset House) there was a sequenceof days from the 12th to 20th (9 days) with the maximum temperature >=80degF(>=27degC), with the highest value on the 19th at 89degF (~32degC). AtDatchet (then Buckinghamshire, now Berkshire, near Windsor), on four days(15th, 17th, 18th & 19th) the temperature in a 'shaded' area of a gardenwas recorded between 90 and 96degF (latter is ~36degC); these values areprobably too high by modern standards but give an idea of the intensity of theheat. [Phil Trans Royal Society]1825Violent gales did much damage 5th August.
Snow fell on 20th & 21st October (?London/South).
Damaging gales 3rd November.1826 (January)A notably cold January (~-3C anomaly/CET)with 'a great deal of ice' noted on the Thames at Greenwich on the 13thJanuary, and nearly frozen (?over) at Deptford on the 17th (LW).1826 (Summer)1. June, July and August: persistentlywarm weather by CET series. For these three months, the figure was 17.6degC,placing it as the second hottest summer in that series (began 1659) after 1976.
The period mid-June to mid-July using the CET series, was one (of two) hottest30-day periods in that series, with a value of 19.7degC. (See also 1976)
2. Dry by the EWP series. June 1826, with 12.4mm, was the 3rd driest June inthat series (update to 1998). Total (summer) rainfall was just 122mm .. not'record-breaking', but still noteworthy. " A warm summer"(London/South).1826: (Annual) A dry year, in the top 20 dry years inthe EWP series, and just inside the 'top-10' (as at 2002). 1827A dry summer (London/South).1828 (Summer & Annual) A wet summer (148% of LTA 1916-1950)across England & Wales (according to Lamb/CHMW).
It was also a wet year by the EWP series.
Gale damaged houses & trees on the night 9th/10th August(London/South?). 1828A wet year.1829A cold year: Continuous frost 16th to24th January; ice in the Thames on 23rd January.
A notably wet summer (168% of LTA 1916-1950) across England & Wales(according to Lamb/CHMW). Note the second wet summer in a row, though onlythree years after a notably dry year of 1826! [N.B. Warm & dry across thenorthern highlands of Scotland during May & June; local drought here -hence the dramatic impact of the floods / high rainfall noted below.]
The 'extended' summer (June to September) showed a %age of 185%.
Over an inch (~2.5cm) of snow fell on the 7th October. Six inches (circa15cm) on 25th November (?London/South). (see also entries below).1829 (July)July, had an EWP of 144mm, and thisrepresented ~230% of the LTA. There was severe flooding on tributaries of theRiver Aire & reservoir failure at Adel, Leeds (W. Yorkshire) in thismonth. August 1829Disastrous floods of all rivers betweenMoray & Angus, after torrential rains 2nd to 4th August, with NE winds& waterspouts. Stone bridges and houses washed away in 5 or 6 counties,coastline altered at river mouths. (July had been very thundery in the South,but cold with night frosts in Scotland).
27th: Further floods in the same districts in NE Scotland as above.
August 1829 in particular was in the 'top-10' of wet such-named months in theEWP series: floods washed away bridges, altered river courses & caused muchloss to agriculture. It was also a cold month, with an anomaly of around minusone-and-a-half C.October & November 18297th October: snow lay for a while in theLondon area & elsewhere in the South. From Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire)there was a report of a heavy fall of snow for three hours. (Up to the 1960s,the earliest known date .. "several inches" according to contemporaryreports).
14th October: Severe NE gale 13th/14th in Scotland; ships lost.
25th November: ENE gale in Scotland: many ships lost.1829/30 (Winter)Severe winter. Almost continuous frost23rd to 31st December 1829, 12th to 19th January 1830 and then 31st January to6th February. Much ice in the Thames on the 29th December and 22nd January.Thames at Greenwich blocked by ice on 3rd February, but all the ice had driftedout to sea by the 10th February.
The CET value for the three 'standard' winter months of December, January &February was 1.1degC, or an approximate 'all-series' negative anomaly of overtwo-and-a-half C. Further afield, Lake Constance in central Europe froze overcompletely for the first time since 1740, and it did not do so again until1963.1830 (Spring, Summer & early Autumn)Another rather wet period from April toSeptember (England & Wales).
A wet summer (in London). Further afield, the summer of 1830 was noted as being"remarkably cold & wet" in Kendal, Westmorland. Using the CET& EWP series, for the three months June, July & August, the overalltemperature anomaly was -1C & the precipitation value represented well over150% of the all-series mean precipitation. 1830 (December)1. 'Spectacular "WhiteChristmas" ' this year is thought to be the model on which Charles Dickensbased his 'Christmas at Dingley Dell' episode in 'Pickwick papers'.
2. Minimum temperature at Greenwich on 25th December was on 11degF (- 12degC).1831A wet year (in London). During a severestorm, 1 inch (25mm) of rain fell in about 30 minutes. Thunderstorms daily from2nd to 5th August in London.1832 (February)Thick fog 22nd to 25th February(London/South).1832 (Summer)A dry summer across (at least) southernScotland [more data needed - this taken from local newspaper reports for Moffatin the Border country]. 1833: (February) Wettest February (as of 2007) in the EWPrecord. 1833: (May) Warm & dry, at least across much ofEngland & Wales. Using the CET series, it was the warmest May on record bya large margin over its nearest rival, 1848. The value quoted (MetO/Hadleyseries) is 15.1degC, or an anomaly on the 'whole-series' of roughly +4C.
This month was also dry, at least across the domain of the England & Walesprecipitation series: with a value of 22 mm, this represents roughly a third of'average' rainfall, and places it (as at 2008) equal 10th driest with 1956, inthat series. 1833/1834: (Winter) 1. One of the warmest winters (by CET) inthe series which began in 1659. Up to 1997, rank=2 Value=6.53; Dec=6.9,Jan=7.1, Feb=5.6 (Others: 1686, 1734, 1796, 1869, 1935, 1975, 1989 and 1990.)
2. Notably WET January by the EWP series. 1834/35 to 1837/38: (Winters/Springs):sequence of 4 notably SEVERE winters/cold-springs in Scotland.)1. 1834/1835: Notably snowy winter inScotland. By the third week of January, 1835, there had been enough snow toseriously disrupt the 'Mails', but it was not until the end of February thatthe greatest quantities were reported. The bad/snowy weather lasted well intomid-March, with depths of 8 or 9 feet being reported.
2. 1835/1836: Another bad winter for snow in Scotland. From December until theend of March, snow was a feature. Heavy falls were reported in January andFebruary, 1836, followed by 'considerable' accumulations in March, especiallyacross northern Scotland. In Edinburgh, snow was a problem as late as the 31stMarch, and it was not until 7th April that there was a significant easing inthe situation.
3. A very wet March across England & Wales in 1836; (in the 'top - 10' ofwettest such-named months in the EWP series).
4. 1836/1837: Although considerable snowfall was reported in January, 1837, theworst of the weather as far as snow was concerned, was still to come. blizzardsbegan at the end of February and on the 14th March, the weather was still'severe'. All through March, the weather is still described as 'severe' both asto cold & snow. Much transport dislocation, and distress to livestock,damage to root crops etc. On the 12th April, the Glasgow Chronicle reportedthat the Campsie and Kilpatrick Hills were still white with snow. The wheat wasso badly damaged by frost that the farmers had harrowed it down, and weresowing oats instead. Deer were dying through lack of fodder in the hills &the frost was so severe that many lambs died immediately they were born.
5. 1837/1838: Further considerable snowfall across Scotland. However a latestart to the winter, with as late as the 6th January, the weather reported asmild with farmers well on with the work. After the 8th, hard frosts & snowhowever then became a feature of the winter/early spring, with further notes ofdisrupted mails, hardship for people and livestock. In some parts of northernScotland, snow was noted to fall on most days between January 8th & May3rd. snow was also noted in upland areas of NE Scotland in June.
6. 1837/1838: A cold winter across England & Wales. In the CET record, thevalue is given as 1.4degC, an approximate anomaly of -2.3C on the all-seriesmean. Of particular note were the low temperatures experienced during January,1838, when the monthly average (CET) is assessed as -1.5degC, equal 8th coldestsuch named month in the series (with 1709 & 1881); the estimated anomalyfor this month being over four-and-a-half degC colder than the long-term mean.Indeed, this month only fails by a whisker to make it into the 10'all/any-month' coldest list. (CET)1834
A dry spell from February to June, then awet summer (in London).
Fog from 30th September to 6th October (London/South).1835 (summer)A dry summer (London/South).1836 (March) A very wet March across England &Wales in 1836; (in the 'top - 10' of wettest such-named months in the EWPseries). October 183628th (or 29th?): Snow lay in Edinburgh 4to 5 inches (10 to 13cm) deep: earliest date (up to 1960s).
Remarkable (compared with conditions for the late 20th/early 21st century)snowfall in the east and southeast on the 29th. An inch (2.5cm) in London, andfive inches (eleven or twelve inches claimed in places) lay at Bury St. Edmunds(Suffolk) for five days. Two inches (circa 5 cm) at Cobham (Surrey), which layfor 5 days, with day maxima barely above freezing. From ng/GPE: 25 cm atNewmarket (Suffolk) (LW, amongst others)29th November 1836A severe gale blew down trees andunroofed houses (London/South?).25th December 1836Great ENE gale and snowstorm 25th - 26th,many lives lost: roads throughout England impassable for several days, snow 5to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.5 metres) deep in many places, a few great drifts 20 to 50feet (6 to 15m). [ see also entry above and below for wholewinter.]1836 - 1837 (winter & earlyspring)Although considerable snowfall wasreported in January, 1837, the worst of the weather as far as snow wasconcerned, was still to come. Blizzards began at the end of February and on the14th March, the weather was still 'severe'. All through March, the weather isstill described as 'severe' both as to cold & snow. Much transportdislocation, and distress to livestock, damage to root crops etc. On the 12thApril, the Glasgow Chronicle reported that the Campsie and Kilpatrick Hillswere still white with snow. The wheat was so badly damaged by frost that thefarmers had harrowed it down, and were sowing oats instead. Deer were dyingthrough lack of fodder in the hills & the frost was so severe that manylambs died immediately they were born.
During this winter, the only (known) disastrous snow avalanche in these islandsoccurred on the 27th December 1836, at Lewes, Sussex. Heavy snow started tofall on Christmas Eve, and easterly gales blowing over the top of Cliffe Hillwith associated eddies, caused a cornice of snow to build up, overhanging a rowof houses which stood below. Three days later, on the 27th, bright sunshinecaused a fissure in the cornice. Householders ignored a warning. The houseswere demolished, and eight people were killed. The "Snowdrop Inn" onthe site commemorates the event.1837 (Spring)The coldest spring (March / April / May)in the entire CET record. March, with a value of 2.3degC (anom. ~-3C) was oneof the 'top-10' such-named months, whilst April (4.7degC/anom. ~-3.2C) wasthe coldest April in the entire series. May was also cold (anom. ~-1.3).The overall seasonal mean CET value was 5.6degC, or around -2.5C on theall-series value (and about 3C below the 'modern-day' average). (See also 1770& 1695)
Snow or sleet showers on the 10th & 22nd May (?London/South?) [ see also1770 & 1695]1837/38 (Winter & early Spring)This severe winter was called"Murphy's winter"; Patrick Murphy won fame and a small fortune fromthe sale of an almanac in which he predicted the severe frost of January 1838(a 2 month frosty period set in with a light SE wind & fine day with hoarfrost on the 7th (or 8th) January).
20th January 1838: Lowest temperatures (known / accepted) of the 19th centuryin London; -16degC reported at Greenwich about sunrise (close to minimum time),-20degC at Blackheath, -26degC at Beckenham (Kent). The temperature inGreenwich was -11degC at midday. The Thames at Greenwich was completely coveredwith ice at high water on the 27th January 1838 & elsewhere, ice floes werereported in the Thames or the Estuary.
Considerable snowfall across Scotland. However a late start to the winter, withas late as the 6th January, the weather being reported as mild with farmerswell on with the work. After the 8th, hard frosts & snow then became afeature of the winter/early spring, with further notes of disrupted mails,hardship for people and livestock. In some parts of northern Scotland, snow wasnoted to fall on most days between January 8th & May 3rd. snow was alsonoted in upland areas of NE Scotland in June.
A cold winter across England & Wales. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb): Using the CETrecord, the average across December / January / February was 1.4degC, or nearly21/2C below the all-series mean. December was not particularly extreme, butJanuary, with a value of -1.5degC, was in the 'top-10' of coldest Januarys,whilst February, with a mean value of 0.4degC, lay just outside the top-10coldest such-named months in the same record.1838 (February)THE 'BUDE BREAKWATER' GALE
1. On the evening of the 24th February, 1838, a southerly gale developed(" more violent than for years "), this veering west-southwesterlythrough the night and coincided with a high tide in the early hours of the25th. The inside slope of the Bude Breakwater (built to protect theharbour/canal entrance between 1820 and 1822) gave way (?scouring /over-topping?), with three-quarters of the structure giving way. [ Apparentlythe mortar had been weakened by a severe frost in the winter; however, thestructure was also deemed to have had too steep a slope, and the replacementbreakwater was of much better construction, and has survived many a gale tothis day/2003.] damage also occurred to sea structures all along the southcoast of England, including the Plymouth breakwater. 1838 (late Summer / Autumn) Following a severe winter/early spring of1838 over Scotland [ see above ], the crops were already delayed, and were thendamaged in the ground by frost in August, with the cold, frosty weathercontinuing through September & October. A large proportion of the crop waslost, with much hardship for rural tenants. 1838Cold year:
fog on 11 days in September (London/South).
Snow showers on the 13th October (?London/South?).January 1839"The Night of the 'BigWind'": this is the most notorious of all storms to affect Ireland(also affected other parts of the British Isles - see later). An unusually deepdepression (one of the deepest ever recorded so close to the British Isles)travelling in a north-east direction to the north of Ireland was responsiblefor gusts widely 75-90 knots, and in excess of 100 knots in a few places; Lambsays there is 'evidence of whirlwind / tornado activity'. At least 90 peoplewere killed across Ireland & surrounding waters, though the death toll wassurprisingly low, allowing for the lack of warning. There was considerabledamage to buildings, shipping and crops right across the island. Around 20-25%of houses in Dublin experienced some form of damage, though some was minor(broken windows). Several tens of thousands of trees were uprooted. Theaforementioned storm also affected other parts of the British Isles,particularly western & northern parts of Britain. The newly-built MenaiBridge was severely damaged. In Liverpool & in the adjacent waters of theIrish Sea, much damage ensued - building damage ashore, and loss of vessels& lives afloat. Deaths in the Liverpool area, both on land & at sea isstated to be around 115, with many-a-breach of local sea walls, and the deathtotal across the entire British Isles may have been in excess of 400. (Rememberthat coastal shipping was of great importance in these days before the railwaynetwork reached all corners of the Kingdom - also Ireland was then an integralpart of the United Kingdom).1839 MayShowers of snow, sleet and hail on the14th & 15th May.1839 (Summer, Autumn & early Winter) A wet summer (148% of LTA 1916-1950)across England & Wales. Specifically, July 1839 was in the 'top-10' ofwettest such-named months in the EWP series.
Over the longer period from June to November 1839, using the EWP series, theRAINFALL %age was around 150% averaged over the England & Wales domain, andprobably close to twice-average across southern England.1839 (Annual)A wet year and a wet summer (in London).
A cold year for Scotland. Specifically for agricultural areas of NE Scotland(though not exclusively so - just that this is the area I have data), thefollowing are noted:
> March: a severe snowstorm, with much drifting - loss of life.
> May: about the middle of that month, there was a heavy fall of snow withmuch drifting.
> September: Severe flooding after heavy rainfall. Damage / destruction ofbridges in the area.
Over England & Wales, the period June 1839 to January 1840 was notably wet(including the wet summer - see above); the cumulative anomaly for this periodwas 140%.
In December, FOG 1st to 7th December (London/South).1840 (Autumn) Excessively wet over parts of Scotland,particularly the northeast. 1840 (November)Thick fog 27th to 29th November(London/South).1840A dry year both by the London &England & Wales series. From the Greenwich record, the total rainfall forthis year was 16.43 inches / ~417mm, or about 70% of the contemporary average.February, March, April, August & December were all dry, March & Aprilnotably so (just 0.09 ins / ~2mm in the latter month). Using the wider England& Wales series, the total was 801mm (~88% of LTA), with March & Aprilvery dry: March 1840, with 10mm (~13%) of rain was the third driest such-namedmonth in the entire series. (LW/EWP)[ contrast with Scotland in the autumn -below ]1840/41 (winter)Severe winter. All three winter monthshad CET anomalies considerably below average.1841 (High summer & autumn) A wet sequence of months from July toNovember inclusive across England & Wales. Using the EWP series, theapproximate anomaly for the period overall was 140-150%. No individual monthwas exceptionally wet by this series, but the consistency of high rainfall (May& June also had above-average values) led to local flooding later in theyear. This was a period of feverish railway building in Britain, and work wasoften affected due to collapse of cuttings / embankments etc. [ various railwayhistories ]1842 & 1843 (Decembers) For two years running, these Decemberswere remarkably mild, with CET values respectively 7.2 & 7.4degC: thesevalues represent an anomaly on the all-series mean of at least +3C, and on themodern-era mean of at least +2C. As of 2008, these two early-winter months arecomfortably within the 'top-10' of this long established series.1844 (Annual) One of the driest years across Englandand Wales using the EWP series.
April, May (DRIEST May in that series), June & December all exceptionallydry. 1844/1845 (Winter) A cold winter over western Europe /implied for parts of Britain. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) 1845 (late Summer/early Autumn): BLIGHT & CROP FAILURE ACROSSEUROPE
1. Notably cold weather July to September. The summer of 1845 (June, July &August) had a mean CET=14.2degC, around a degree below the all-series mean.Specifically, August 1845 was over 2 degC colder than average. This summer waspart of a run of poor such seasons from 1843 to 1845, with significantly belowaverage temperatures using the CET series.
2. Persistent / often heavy rains over Ireland accompanied by depressedtemperatures during the second half of the summer, precipitated the start of agreat famine. The failure was caused by rotting of the potato (a staple foodfor poor families in the island) in the ground - the weather conditions (cold /damp) being ideal for spread of the spores which caused the Blight. By Octoberof 1845, there had been a total collapse of the Irish potato source. Thesituation was made worse because of the failure of the corn harvest in Britainand western Europe, and the indifference of both the government in Westminster[ Ireland was at this time part of the United Kingdom ] & of theland-owners, many of whom were English, or Anglo-Irish.1845/1846 (Winter) Notably mild winter in Scotland. (c.f. to'severe' winter conditions much further south e.g. Paris). The generally mildweather lasted from December to early March, when 'winter' set in. The mildconditions were also reflected in the CET record, where the value was 5.8degC(roughly +2C), placing the winter within the top dozen-or-so of mildwinters. 1846 (April) A wet month, with an EWP value of 112mm, representing roughly 180% of the contemporary LTA. In Dorset, work on theSouthampton to Dorchester Railway was halted for a time due to the wetconditions underfoot. May/Jun 1846Hot, dry spell began on 25th. Ended (as a25-day exceptionally hot, dry spell) in Ireland on 18th June.August 18461st: Violent thunderstorms. Hail smashedglass arcade over Regent Street pavements in London beyond repair.1846 (Summer) 1. Further high rainfall in Ireland -causing additional misery after the previous failure of the potato crop (seeabove). The hardship in the island continued for many years (until at leastJuly 1849), encouraging emigration & fostering the ill-feeling towards rulefrom England which was to cause so much strife in the next 150 years. In 1841,the census total for Ireland was 8.17mn; by the 1851 tally, it had fallen to6.55mn: it has been estimated that over 1mn people died due to the Famine.
2. With a CET value of 17.1degC, this summer over England & Wales was inthe 'top-5' of WARMEST summers in that series (began 1659). [ I suppose youcould speculate that it was for this reason that English landowners did notfully appreciate the plight of poorer people in Ireland. However note thatsummer 1846 was also WET in the EWP series, with ~125% of LTA rainfall.]September - November 184620th September: Beginning of period ofviolent gales in Ireland, lasting until 21st November.
20th October: Violent storm in Ireland, probably former tropicalhurricane.1846/1847 (Winter) The winter of 1846/47 was noted forsevere frosts and heavy rains across southern England. Using the CET record,December had a value of 0.5degC, at least 3.5C below the all-series mean;January and February anomalies were between -1 and -1.5C. The winter as a wholeranked within the 'top 10%' of coldest winters in this long established series.[CET] { Rainfall, using the EWP series, doesn't appear to be extreme (Decemberrelatively dry), but this series may not reflect local conditions. } On theSouthampton & Dorchester Railway, then under construction, working acrossthe soils of the New Forest proved to be very difficult. In a single week, atotal of 13 horses became stuck in the mud and had to be destroyed.July 1847Cloudburst on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall:Flooding rivers destroyed bridges.1848: (February) 1. One of the wettest Februarys acrossEngland & Wales (using the EWP series). 1848 (Summer) A notably wet summer (157% of LTA1916-1950) across England & Wales (see Lamb/CHMW). At Greenwich, the totalrainfall for the three months of June, July & August=247mm (161%). June1848 was especially wet here (Greenwich), with 89mm or ~210% of LTA. July hadbelow average rainfall (85%), but August was back up to 186% anomaly with108mm, by far the wettest month of that very wet year (q.v.). 1848 (Annual)9th wettest in the EWP series (as of2004). Notable floods along the Thames Valley.April 1849Great snowstorm in S. England: Westerham(Kent) coach buried in drifts.