1879: A very cold year

[Weather-history]

1879 was a very cold year, the third coldest year on record with an annual CET of just 7.42, like 1740, it came out of the blue.

The months and their comparison to the 1961-90 average in brackets

Jan 1879: -0.7 (-4.5)

Feb 1879: 3.1 (-0.7)

Mar 1879: 4.7 (-1.0)

Apr 1879: 5.7 (-2.3)

May 1879: 8.9 (-2.3)

Jun 1879: 12.9 (-1.2)

Jul 1879: 13.6 (-2.5)

Aug 1879: 14.5 (-1.3)

Sep 1879: 12.6 (-1.0)

Oct 1879: 8.9 (-1.7)

Nov 1879: 4.1 (-2.4)

Dec 1879: 0.7 (-3.9)

The cold started November 1878 and the winter of 1878-79 is the 7th coldest on record.

The spring of 1879 is the 13th coldest spring on record.

The summer of 1879 is the 10th coldest summer on record

The autumn of 1879 is the 34th coldest autumn on record.

The winter of 1878-79 was very snowy, the first half of December 1879 was exceptionally cold

-21.1C: 2nd Dec

-26.7C: 3rd Dec

-22.2C: 4th Dec

-18.9C: 5th Dec

-18.3C: 6th Dec

-21.0C: 7th Dec

-17.8C: 8th Dec

December 1879 was bitterly cold in France, -25.6C was recorded at Paris and the Seine was frozen over

The cold extended into the following January of 1880, it wasn't until February 1880 that mild weather finally dominated a month for the first time since October 1878.

Number of days during 1879 with a CET mean of 0C or less: 42

Number of days during 1879 with a CET minimum of 0C or less: 90

Number of days during 1879 with a CET maximum of 0C or less: 11

Lowest CET minimum and highest CET maximum during 1879: -11.4C 7th Dec; 23.0C 12th Aug

A CET minimum of -1.3C was recorded on the 10th of May 1879

Other info on 1879:

Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister

James Clerk Maxwell; one of the greatest physicists of the 19th century died

The battle of Rorke's Drift, made famous by the film Zulu, was fought

The Tay Bridge disaster took place killing 75

Albert Einstein, Nancy Astor and Lord Beaverbrook were born in 1879

[kold weather]

Wow that is quite amazing, imagine if we got even close to that in the next few years, there'd be claims that the THC has shut down left right and center!

[Optimus Prime]

An amazing continuation of below average months there in relation to the 61-90 average.

Butf I bet if you used the average they used then, quite a few of those months would be near average.

[Weather-history]

average.

Butf I bet if you used the average they used then, quite a few of those months would be near average.

Compared to the 1841-70 average

Jan 1879: -0.7 (-4.1)

Feb 1879: 3.1 (-0.

Mar 1879: 4.7 (-0.5)

Apr 1879: 5.7 (-2.5)

May 1879: 8.9 (-2.3)

Jun 1879: 12.9 (-1.5)

Jul 1879: 13.6 (-1.

Aug 1879: 14.5 (-0.

Sep 1879: 12.6 (-0.6)

Oct 1879: 8.9 (-0.7)

Nov 1879: 4.1 (-1.5)

Dec 1879: 0.7 (-3.6)

March is closest to the long term average within 0.5 of it, February and June are actually further away from the long term average of the time. Not all 30 year rolling average were cooler than today, some were higher than todays values.

[Hiya]

Intresting, they had warmer January's.

[Anti-Mild]

Intresting, they had warmer January's.

No they didn't. I'm sure that -0.7 + 4.1 = 3.4c

[Weather-history]

May to July 1879 was the coldest such period on record with a CET average of just 11.8

Compared to the warmest May-July period on record, 2006 with a CET average of 15.97

[Hiya]

No they didn't. I'm sure that -0.7 + 4.1 = 3.4c

lol, it was 5.30am!

[Weather-history]

The summer was exceptionally wet, the second wettest on record for England and Wales with 409.2mm. The period May to September recorded 580.3mm.

The agricultural year was a disaster with the coldness and the exceptional wetness of the growing season added to the fact that it was much delayed by the cold spells during the spring months.

At Ross-on-Wye, it was the coldest January since 1838, May since 1837, December since 1796 and as a year as a whole since 1814. The river Wye was frozen over for the first time to bear weight to cross since February 1855 during the December of 1879. By the end of December, it was the 14th consecutive month of below average temperatures for that station.

At Croydon, the highest maximum was the 30th of July with 25.2C and the lowest minimum was on the 7th of December with -10.2C. 38 days of falling snow were recorded that year.

January

Camden Rd station in London record 9 ice days in January with a mean of just 0C

Holt in Norfolk recorded 24 air frosts in January, a mean of -0.2C, highest max of 9.3C on the 14th and a minimum of -15.4C

Bristol, a mean of -0.3C was recorded for January whilst Cheadle (Cheshire) saw 19 ice days

February

Driving snow was reported at Littlehampton on the 1st, 63cm of lying snow at Keith (Banffshire) on the 16th. Cheltenham recorded 8cm of snow on the 24th

Cambridge recorded a mean of 3.1C

Elterwater a mean of 1.4C and a winter mean of -0.8C

March

Southampton Water was slightly frozen on the 2nd, there was skating on the lakes in the Lake District. Ullswater had been frozen for 14 weeks at this stage.

Cheadle recorded a maximum of 0C on the 14th.

Addington a maximum of -1C on the 24th.

Foot long icicles wre seen in Cambridge at midday on the 24th

Many reports on how backward the vegetation was by month's end

April

15cm of snow at Enfield on the 12th and 11 air frosts for the month. General snowfalls (12th-13th)

Hodsock (Notts) recorded a minimum of -4.7C on the 13th.

Bristol recorded a mean of 5.9C

May

Snow and severe frosts for the first half of the month.

Reports of hawthorn still not in bloom and oak trees not in leaf.

Babbacombe in Devon reported only 3 days of 16C+ for the month.

Bristol recorded a mean of 9.1C

June

Bromley had yet to record 21C so far that year by the end of June

Oxford recorded 27 days where rain fell

Cambridge recorded a mean of 13.9C

Walton-on-the-hill recorded just one day reaching 21C for the month

July

Holt in Norfolk recorded rain every day frm the 23rd to the 6th of July with 77mm in total. It recorded a maximum of 26.1C on the 29th. The highest maximum for that station that year.

Bristol recorded a mean of just 13.9C

Walton-on-the hill recorded a maximum of 24.1C for the month.

August

Babbacombe recorded a maximum of just 21.7C on the 13th and was the highest maximum for that year for that station.

Torrential rain across parts of the West Midlands, NW England and Wales where as much as 6 inches fell from 15th-17th.

Severe flooding reported.

September and October were cold with frosts at times

November

The last third was very cold and wintry.

10cm of snow at Cheltenham on the 21st, 20cm at Hodsock Priory

Skating at Cheltenham on the 30th.

Enfield record 9 days of falling snow and 17 air frosts.

December

Uxbridge: continuous fog from 14th to 28th

Enfield: 27 air frosts. -13.9C on the 7th, the lowest minimum there since 3rd January 1867

Remarkable rime frost on the 25th, three quarters of an inch rime on trees.

2nd: Coston Rectory -19.7C at 9am; -21.1C at Thorpe Arnold; -17.8C at Lincoln Water Works

3rd: Milton Malbay Ice 4 inches thick

4th: Melrose -20C

6th: Diss -12.7C; Cambridge -19C; Gedling Rectory -20C

11th: Soil frozen to depth of 25cm at Addiscombe

15th: 25 consecutive days of lying snow at Addiscombe

Skating on the lakes and many rivers covered with ice in the Lake District.

The weather became much milder during the last few days of December

[johnholmes]

the thought of anything approaching those temperatures now would fill me with dread, Dec-Jan let alone a whole 12 months of it.

yes I know some of you pine for a really cold winter - good luck, hopefully before that happens the grim reaper will have called me up for duty!

I've experienced enough cold winters and individual cold winter months thank you very much. 3-6 days at the most I would like but nothing any longer and no more than a couple of those in any 12 month period!

Edited April 23, 2008 by johnholmes

[North-Easterly Blast]

1879 was a very cold year, the third coldest year on record with an annual CET of just 7.42, like 1740, it came out of the blue.

The months and their comparison to the 1961-90 average in brackets

Jan 1879: -0.7 (-4.5)

Feb 1879: 3.1 (-0.7)

Mar 1879: 4.7 (-1.0)

Apr 1879: 5.7 (-2.3)

May 1879: 8.9 (-2.3)

Jun 1879: 12.9 (-1.2)

Jul 1879: 13.6 (-2.5)

Aug 1879: 14.5 (-1.3)

Sep 1879: 12.6 (-1.0)

Oct 1879: 8.9 (-1.7)

Nov 1879: 4.1 (-2.4)

Dec 1879: 0.7 (-3.9)

The cold started November 1878 and the winter of 1878-79 is the 7th coldest on record.

The spring of 1879 is the 13th coldest spring on record.

The summer of 1879 is the 10th coldest summer on record

The autumn of 1879 is the 34th coldest autumn on record.

The winter of 1878-79 was very snowy, the first half of December 1879 was exceptionally cold

-21.1C: 2nd Dec

-26.7C: 3rd Dec

-22.2C: 4th Dec

-18.9C: 5th Dec

-18.3C: 6th Dec

-21.0C: 7th Dec

-17.8C: 8th Dec

December 1879 was bitterly cold in France, -25.6C was recorded at Paris and the Seine was frozen over

The cold extended into the following January of 1880, it wasn't until February 1880 that mild weather finally dominated a month for the first time since October 1878.

Number of days during 1879 with a CET mean of 0C or less: 42

Number of days during 1879 with a CET minimum of 0C or less: 90

Number of days during 1879 with a CET maximum of 0C or less: 11

Lowest CET minimum and highest CET maximum during 1879: -11.4C 7th Dec; 23.0C 12th Aug

A CET minimum of -1.3C was recorded on the 10th of May 1879

Other info on 1879:

Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister

James Clerk Maxwell; one of the greatest physicists of the 19th century died

The battle of Rorke's Drift, made famous by the film Zulu, was fought

The Tay Bridge disaster took place killing 75

Albert Einstein, Nancy Astor and Lord Beaverbrook were born in 1879

Thanks Kevin. You say that February 1880 was the first time mild weather finally dominated a month for the first time since October 1878. October 1878 wasn't exactly warm was it (10.2), so I would really say that February 1880 was the first time above average temps dominated a month for the first time since June or July 1878.

[Weather-history]

Thanks Kevin. You say that February 1880 was the first time mild weather finally dominated a month for the first time since October 1878. October 1878 wasn't exactly warm was it (10.2), so I would really say that February 1880 was the first time above average temps dominated a month for the first time since June or July 1878.

Its all relative NEB. As you know October has got warmer in the last 60 years. An October of 10.2 in the 1870s is not the same as an October of the 1990s. You are looking it through current eyes when you should be looking through 1870s eyes, if you see what I'm saying

The 1841-70 October average is 9.6, so the October of 1878 was 0.6C above that average.

Some other comments on 1879 weather

"A year of two winters and no spring or summer."

"apples and pears about one fourth of an ordinary crop, many vegetables such as tomatoes and marrows would not ripen at all; potatoes nearly all rotted."

"no fruit ripened to perfection; no continued summer weather."

"Year remarkable for the great absence of sunshine; there was only 92 days on which the sun shone for more than two hours."

"snow fell in eight months; vegetation much retarded by cold."

"Corn crops, hay and wall-fruit all very bad."

"the pecularity of the year is the great absence of sunshine."

"Cloudy and sunless in a remarkable degree, with a low mean temperature; vegetation weak, fruits small and deficient in flavour."

"Snow on the ground from November 20th to December 27th (Bromley)"

"Wretchedly wet and gloomy....Nothing ripened."

"Snow fell on November 20th and 21st to a depth of nearly 12in and remained on the ground nearly a month." (South Downs)

"Max. temp. for the year only 75 degrees." (Southampton)

"Crops of corn bad. Great absence of small birds."

"The rainfall in June, July and August is the heaviest I have known for 50 years and the year was the most unfavourable for all agricultural operations that I have known during that period."

"Very wet, cold and sunless" (Cambridge)

"Spring and summer cold and wet. Autumn cold with severe frosts."

"The winter left late and returned early....The dews were excpetionally heavy in the autumn."

"Spring bleak and wintry, summer late and cheerless with very little sunshine."

"The year will was chiefly remarkable for its protracted winter, its late and cold spring, its wet and sunless summer and autumn."

"A wretched summer, temperature persistently low, and a most marked absence of sun."

"Great absence of sunlight throught the year and the scanty crops are probably due in great measure to this cause."

"Remarkable absence of sun; on only 10 days did the temperature reach or exceed 70 degrees." (Great Torrington)

"A cold, cloudy, damp and disastrous year."

"Remarkable year, being cold and sunless throughout."

"Unusual absence of sun and continuousrain have resulted in a very barren year."

"intense frost set in at an unprecentedly early date."

"very cold damp and sunless; frost in every month except August."

"trees just coming into leaf at the end of May."

"All the year is very sunless; unusually severe frost in January and December."

"A very dull and damp year and depressing year, noted for great absence of sunshine and for much cloud even when not raining. Garden produce small and inferior in quality."

"A year without a summer"

"Dry frost till the end of May."

"A cold and backward spring, wet and unfruitful summer, a dry autumn, with early and severe winter, the first week in December being the coldest ever recorded in Hull. There was also an unusual prevalence of cloud throughout the year."

Temperature records for Hull

January:- Mean min: -2.7C Mean max: 1.2C

February:- Mean min: 0.4C Mean max: 5.2C

March:- Mean min: 1.0C Mean max: 8.6C

April:- Mean min: 2.2C Mean max: 10.1C

May:- Mean min: 4.1C Mean max: 13.9C

June:- Mean min: 9.1C Mean max: 18.7C

July:- Mean min: 10.2C Mean max: 18.7C

August:- Mean min: 10.8C Mean max: 19.6C

September:- Mean min: 8.2C Mean max: 17.2C

October:- Mean min: 4.9C Mean max: 13.0C

November:- Mean min: 1.4C Mean max: 7.3C

December:- Mean min: -3.8C Mean max: 3.9C

Annual mean min: 3.8C

Annual mean max: 11.4C

Annual mean: 7.0C

Melrose

Max. temp of the year: 25.6C (12th Aug.)

Min temp of the year: -15.0C (4th December)

Mean annual temp: 4.8C

Tarbert recorded only 4 occasions from the 22nd of October 1878 to 20th May 1879 with no frosts.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Mr_Data

[Somerset Squall]

Thanks for the report Mr_D. A really interesting read. Although I like cold weather I prefer it to stay in Winter and would never like to endure cold that extreme ever.

[Weather-history]

Here's a couple more interesting reports from 1879.

26th April 1879: Wolsingham near Bishop Auckland.

" A waterspout cloud passed over the valley of the Wear about 2 miles west of Wolsingham. In hanging down it had the appearance of a great black bag, tapering to the lower end, which seemed to revolve rapidly. It passed over to the opposite hill and was dissipated without an extraordinary fall of rain."

12th June 1879: Kilrea, County Derry.

" On June 12th, a waterspout was observed in this neighbourhood; passing along the Bann valley, it crossed over County Antirm, taking the direction of the wind, which blew S.W. at the time. It presented the appearance of a dark, undulatory column, reaching from the clouds and tapering slightly to where it came in contact with the earth; it was seemingly about 1 yard in diameter midway up."

[Roger J Smith]

I thought you might be interested in the weather recorded for 1879 in Toronto, Canada.

After most of 1878 had been a warmer than average year, especially relative to the existing normals, the weather turned colder than average in November and December, but without any severe cold.

January and February of 1879 continued that theme. Most days were a few degrees below the existing normals but there was no severe cold by local standards. The coldest reading of the winter was only -23 C, something that would still occur nowadays. But there were very few days above 4 C. March stayed rather cold with a fair amount of rain but then it turned record cold in early April for several days. That month also stayed quite a bit below average to the end.

May became more variable and eventually rather warm and dry, and there were some minor record highs set, such as 28 C on the 13th. June was cool and wet, July relatively warm and dry although near normal by modern standards. August was notably cool and had some record low max values at mid-month (14 C brr). September also passed without any real warmth. So at this point, the year was fairly similar to what was experienced in Britain, if perhaps a little less exceptional.

October 1879 was a much warmer and apparently sunnier month than normal, although colder weather arrived before the month ended. It became the warmest on record to that point, eventually beaten out by 1900 and a whole lot of more recent years. But it is still in the top quartile. November turned quite cold with some heavy snowfalls, and December was modestly milder than average on the way into a rather mild winter.

So, the overall trend was similar, long cold spells, and suggests that low solar activity might have been a factor in the widespread colder than average weather. The breakdown of the cold came several months earlier, suggesting a progressive influence at work.

[Weather-history]

Looking back at individual months for this year over the next few days, starting with January

Hitchen

Highest Max: 44.0F (1st)

Lowest Min: 17.0( (5th, 10th, 11th)

29 air frosts

No sun for 10 days, constant N and E winds.

Banbury

Highest Max: 45.5F (1st)

Lowest Min: 15.5F (6th)

29 air frosts

Snow on 9 days

Culford

Average: 30.9F

Polar winds on 21 days

The earth, frost bound for more than two months

Shifnal

Ground covered with snow except from 14th to 17th.

Frost nightly after 1st, ice 8 inches thick. Severn at Shrewsbury, frozen and will bear.

Highest Max: 48.0F (1st)

Lowest Min: 16.0F (12th)

Manchester

The month maybe characterised as one of the goold old-fashioned winters and the delight of skaters; the frost continued with scaracely any intermission and snow lay on the ground, the whole month. The min temp was below freezing every night but one.

Highest Max: 45.0F (13th,14th)

Lowest Min: 16.0F (6th)

Haverfordwest

Severe gales 7th and 8th with snow then black frost to 13th. A short thaw with floods midmonth then almost continuos frosts to the end of month.

Highest Max: 50.0F (14th)

Lowest Min: 14.0F (11th)

Hawick

Such a lenghtened period of frost and snow has not been experienced here since 1837. all otdoor labour has been suspended for about 8 weeks.

Braemar

A month of continuous frost and snow

Highest Max: 41.0F (15th)

Lowest Min: 3.0F (12th)

29 air frosts

Portree

The coldest January on record, almost continuous snow and frost. Such frost and snow was never known before in Skye

Dunrobin

Outdoor operations very much retarded by the continued snow. Sheep farmers are incurring great expense, hand feeding their flocks , as all herbage and heather have been covered up by snow since the beginning of December.

Highest Max: 45.0F (13th)

Lowest Min: 19.8F (3rd)

Omagh

Immense thickness of ice on lakes where skating has been continuous for two months

Highest Max: 45.0F (13th)

Lowest Min: 15.0F (22nd)

29 air frosts

Barrow-in-Furness

Mean Max: 36.4F

Mean Min: 28.4F

29 air frosts

Westwood Hall, Leeds

Mean Max: 33.6F

Mean Min: 24.8F

Camden Square

Mean Max: 35.8F

Mean Min: 28.7F

Mean: 32.2F

Jersey

Mean Max: 40.9F

Mean Min: 34.5F

Mean: 37.7F

Torquay

Mean Max: 39.4F

Mean Min: 31.9F

Mean: 35.6F

Worthing

Mean Max: 38.3F

Mean Min: 30.4F

Mean: 34.3F

[stewfox]

I remember back in Jan 1879 helping clear out my grans frozen guttering. Very cold start to the New year (all recorded in my diary at the time)

oops that was 1979

[Weather-history]

February

Selborne

Very cloudy, dense fogs in the early part of the month

Highest Max: 49.5F (7th,8th)

Lowest Min: 19.5F (24th)

15 air frosts

Shifnal

Sun scarcely visible throughout, max temp reached 50F only once

Highest Max: 50.0F (9th)

Lowest Min: 21.0F (20th)

18 air frosts

Leicester: 7 inches of snow on 23rd

Haverfordwest: Snow fell heavily on 6 days, snow on 21st 8 inches deep.

Highest Max: 52.5F (11th)

Lowest Min: 23.0F (24th)

10 air frosts

Hawick

Farm and garden work are far in arrear and nearly all garden vegetables have been killed by frost. A great winter in the annals of skating and curling

Sandwick

The ice formed on the Lochs in November remained till February 16th and new ice was formed on the 18th.

Highest Max: 47.7F (27th)

Lowest Min: 24.3F (19th)

13 air frosts

Weetwood Hall, Leeds

Mean Max: 39.2F

Mean Min: 31.3F

Mean: 35.2F

Camden Square

Mean Max: 43.0F

Mean Min: 34.0F

Mean: 38.5F

Jersey

Mean Max: 46.9F

Mean Min: 38.5F

Mean: 42.7F

Torquay

Mean Max: 45.8F

Mean Min: 36.1F

Mean: 41.0F

Worthing

Mean Max: 41.9F

Mean Min: 35.0F

Mean: 38.4F

[johnholmes]

and according to one poster on another thread, this may be what we can expect sometime in the next 20-25 years!!

again tks for all the inputs mate, they are great to read and very much appreciated.

[Weather-history]

March

Banbury

Highest Max: 59.0F (19th)

Lowest Min: 25.0F (2nd)

18 air frosts

High winds on 5 days, snow on 7 days. Violets in bloom on 28th.

Shifnal

Highest Max: 54.0F

Lowest Min: 23.0F (2nd)

15 air frosts

March this year both came in and went out like a lamb, but bitter cold intervened especially from the 22nd to the 29th when the equinotical gales coming from the east, with attempts of snow, were deadly cold. Snowdrops full out on 4th.

Grimsby

Highest Max: 55.0F (9th,12th)

Lowest Min: 25.0F (14th)

5 air frosts

Very vold month; young lambs suffered from cold with NE winds and snow. Two inches of snow on the ground on 14th.

Manchester

Highest Max: 55.0F (8th, 29th and 31st)

Lowest Min: 28.0F (2nd)

11 air frosts

The month opened rather mild but about the 20th the wind veered est and northeast and the weather became cold. Slight falls of snow on 25th and 26th. Thunder and lightning in afternoon of 25th.

Haverfordwest

Highest Max: 60.0F (19th)

Lowest Min: 22.F (2nd)

14 air frosts

A bleak cold month. First and last weeks very severe with easterly gales and snow. Remarkably fine and warm on 18th and 19th.

Hawick

Hurricanes on the 5th and 22nd. Snow fell to the depth of 7 inches on the 13th. Such a severe March has not been known or many years. Laurels have suffered severely and celery, turnips and all brassica have been reduced to pulp.

Portree

More frosts in this month than has ever been known before. Glaes on the 4th, 12th and 30th, Lambs suffering greatly from the cold.

Sandwick

Highest Max: 50.0F (8th)

Lowest Min: 21.6F (17th)

11 air frosts

During March there was generally a continuance of cold wintry weather with snow over the plains on 9 days and drifts on 2 of them.

[0000]

March

Banbury

Highest Max: 59.0F (19th)

Lowest Min: 25.0F (2nd)

18 air frosts

High winds on 5 days, snow on 7 days. Violets in bloom on 28th.

Shifnal

Highest Max: 54.0F

Lowest Min: 23.0F (2nd)

15 air frosts

March this year both came in and went out like a lamb, but bitter cold intervened especially from the 22nd to the 29th when the equinotical gales coming from the east, with attempts of snow, were deadly cold. Snowdrops full out on 4th.

Grimsby

Highest Max: 55.0F (9th,12th)

Lowest Min: 25.0F (14th)

5 air frosts

Very vold month; young lambs suffered from cold with NE winds and snow. Two inches of snow on the ground on 14th.

Manchester

Highest Max: 55.0F (8th, 29th and 31st)

Lowest Min: 28.0F (2nd)

11 air frosts

The month opened rather mild but about the 20th the wind veered est and northeast and the weather became cold. Slight falls of snow on 25th and 26th. Thunder and lightning in afternoon of 25th.

Haverfordwest

Highest Max: 60.0F (19th)

Lowest Min: 22.F (2nd)

14 air frosts

A bleak cold month. First and last weeks very severe with easterly gales and snow. Remarkably fine and warm on 18th and 19th.

Hawick

Hurricanes on the 5th and 22nd. Snow fell to the depth of 7 inches on the 13th. Such a severe March has not been known or many years. Laurels have suffered severely and celery, turnips and all brassica have been reduced to pulp.

Portree

More frosts in this month than has ever been known before. Glaes on the 4th, 12th and 30th, Lambs suffering greatly from the cold.

Sandwick

Highest Max: 50.0F (8th)

Lowest Min: 21.6F (17th)

11 air frosts

During March there was generally a continuance of cold wintry weather with snow over the plains on 9 days and drifts on 2 of them.

Truly facinating Mr D............keepem coming!

[Weather-history]

April

Selborne

Winds mostly NE or NW, snow on 12th, 13th and 14th

Highest Max: 58.5F (26th)

Lowest Min: 22.0F (29th)

10 air frosts

Hitchin

Snow on 12th

Banbury

Snow daily from 11th to 15th

Culford

Heaviest fall of snow in 24 hours for at least 30 years occurred on 12th. Polar winds prevailed on 15 days

Cirencester

Snow on the 11th, 12th and 13th

Shifnal

Easter day (13th) the coldest for at least 45 years; min: 23F max: 40F, mean: 36F

Orleton

Snow on ground from 12th to 15th

Leicester

Snow daily from 11th to 14th

York

Mean temp: 43.5F (47.4F in 1878, 43.2F in 1877)

Haverfordwest

Snow on 11th, 12th and 13th

Cargen

Easterly winds on 24 days; vegetation about a month behind

Hawick

Unusual amount of snow, wild flowers very late.

Aberdeen

Mean temp: 41.2F, fog on 7 days

Dunrobin

Cold east winds most of the month. High tide and easterly windson 7th and 8th did considerable damage on east coast.

Sandwick

April was remarkably cold, the thermometer on grass falling below 32F o 19 nights (April 1878: 7 nights). Bright aurora on 19th.

Monkstown

Heavy snow on 13th

Waringstown

Deep snow on Easter sunday (13th)

[Weather-history]

May

Hitchen

Highest Max: 63.0F (21st,24th)

Tremendous thunderstorm occurred in the Lee valley on the 28th.

Bansbury

Highest Max: 66.5F (21st)

Snow and hail on the 1st and 5th.

Culford

Mean temp of 49.5F

North or east winds on 13 days. Severe thunderstorm on the night of 28th. Snow on the 6th and 7th.

Shifnal

Highest Max: 67.0F (21st)

Apple in blossom (26th); oaks only in tender leaf by 29th.

Orleton

Seventh month in succesion with a temperature below average.

Cherry trees came into full blossom about the 3rd, damsons about the 7th, pear trees about the 23rd and apple trees about the 27th.

Leicester

Highest Max: 67.3F (21st)

Hail on the 1st, snow on the 7th and 8th.

Boston

Highest Max: 70.0F (5th)

Cowslips not in flower till 11th, lilac not till the 28th, hwathron and laburnum till the 3rd of June, elms began to break into leaf about the end of the first week.

Grimsby

Highest Max: 63.0F (31st)

The scarcity of small birds, both in resident and migrant, shows what havoc the protracted cold period has produced amongst them.

York

Highest Max: 69.0F (6th)

Snow on 3 days

Arncliffe

Snow on 6th, 7th and 9th

North Shields

Highest Max: 62.4F (5th)

Snow on the 6th, 7th , 8th and 9th

Haverfordwest

Highest Max: 64.5F (20th)

Snow fell heavily on the 7th

Hawick

Hills white with snow on the 6th, 7th and 8th.

Aberdeen

Highest Max: 63.5F (5th)

Mean temp 46.5F, 1.8F below the average.

Snow on 3 days, hail on 5 days, fog on 5 days

Portree

Grass on pastures quite brown. More frosts and snow than ever known before in May. A third of the young lambs have succumbed to the cold.

Darryane Abbey

A harsh, cold month with northerly winds almost constantly#

Killaloe

A cold, backward month with almost continuous north winds

Omagh

Weather still harsh and inclement; vegetation very backward.

In the US, a tornado killed over 50 people in eastern Kansas:

"The cyclone is described as a dark funnel-shaped cloud, moving about 10 miles per hour just above the earth with a whirling motion estimated from 60 to 100 miles per hour. The path traversed varied from 300 to 700 yards wide, being distinctly marked as every tree, house, fence or obstruction aling it was destroyed."

[Weather-history]

June

Hitchen

The wettest June for 30 years and the coldest since 1860

Rain: 5.22" (+2.58")

Highest Max: 67.0F (14th and 17th)

Culford

Mean temp: 58.1F, thunder on 5 days

Bodmin

The heaviest rainfall ever recorded for June; mean temp: 60.1F

Rain: 8.54" (+4.50")

Highest Max: 67.0F (20th)

Shifnal

Rain on 25th days thunder on 4 days; farmers couldnot get in their swedes; ash only bursting in leaf on the 5th; apples falling off.

Rain: 5.21" (+2.10")

Highest Max: 69.0F (14th, 17th and 20th)

Orleton

Rain on 26 days; heavy thunderstorms on 3rd, 11th and 24th; floods frequent on brooks and river Teme; up to 1st of July, the max in shade has yet to reach 70F, a case wihout parallel during the last 54 years

Boston

1.09" of rain on the 11th left standing water for several days. River Witham very full. All vegetation is at least 1 month behind. Slugs and caterpillars are numerous and destructive.

Rain: 4.18" (+1.99")

Highest Max: 74.0F (10th)

Manchester

Rain: 4.66" (+1.58")

Highest Max: 75.0F (14th and 28th)

North Shields

Thunderstorms on 8th, 12th, 17th and 29th.

Haverfordwest

Wettest June on record. Turnips cannot be sown

Rain: 7.39" (+3.74")

Highest Max: 68.0 (15th)

Braemar

Snow on hills on the 1st; thunderstorms on the 10th and 14th.

Rain: 3.23" (-0.21")

Highest Max: 67.0F (15th)

Culloden

All forest trees are late in flowering

Killaloe

All crops are a month late, no hay cut by end of month.

Rain: 5.62" (+1.99")

Highest Max: 75.0F (25th)

[Weather-history]

July

Hitchin

The coldest and most sunless July on record exception 1875. Harvest cannot commence until September, half the hay is still out and spoilt

Highest Max: 73.0F (30th)

Rain: 3.78" (+1.88")

Culford

A month of almost continuous rainfall, resulting in destructive floods. Even rye showing no indication of changing colour yet, while in 1868, the entire harvest was completed by the last day of the month. Mean temp: 58.2F

Bodmin

Mean temp: 61.2F

Rain: 4.92" (+1.81")

Highest Max: 76.0F (29th)

Cossey

A dull cold month, only 6 days which reached 70F

Orleton

On the 18th, the thermometer reached 70.8F which was the highest temperature registered since last autumn.

Cargen

Vegetation has made little progress during the month; peaches, apples and pears will apparently be a complete failure.

Hawick

The dragonfly has never yet been seen.

Aberdeen

A cold, wet ungenial month, only on 6 days did the temperature rise above 65F

Rain: 3.96"

Highest Max: 70.7F (28th and 29th)

Sandwick

West winds has been rare, not only during the month, but during all this year and this no doubt been the cause of our remarkably cold winter and summer.

Rain: 3.17" (+1.28")

Highest Max: 63.2F (29th)

Killaloe

A very bad month for haymakers, only 8 days without rain. All crops from a month to 5 weeks late; potato blight appearing everywhere.

Rain: 3.88"

Highets Max: 80.0F (18th)

Edenfel

Altogether agricultural prospects have not been so bad since 1816