1816 - The Year
Without Summer
By: Lee Foster, Meteorologist
As we all know living in New England means enduring long
winters and savoring the short summers. However, in 1816, the summer season was
shorter than normal and is commonly referred to as “The Year Without Summer”. I
first heard about this infamous summer from my grandfather who lived his entire
life in Northern New Hampshire . He was not alive in 1816
but stories of that summer were passed down from generation to generation. His
stories about that summer peaked my interest in the actual conditions in 1816
and after some research I discovered that indeed the summer of 1816 was not your
typical summer.
The indications of a
possible cool summer were evident during the spring time. The middle of May
brought unseasonably cool temperatures to the region with light snow reported in
Quebec
Province with frost as far south as
Virginia . Mild and sunny
conditions returned to the Northeast by the last week of May before a strong
cold front crossed New England on the 28th with light snow again
reported in Quebec and frost as far south as Pennsylvania. Reports of fruit
trees being set back and acres of corn killed in
Maine were common.
After a warm start to June, the month quickly turned stormy.
A strong Nor’easter developed along the east coast on the 6th with rain mixed
with snow in Quebec City and light
snow observed over the highlands of New
York and most of Northern New
England . As this winter type
storm moved into the Canadian Maritimes on the 7th, the storm dumped
6 to 12 inches of snow over most of Northern New England
with reports of 2 foot drifts in Quebec
City . Strong high pressure followed the storm from the
8th through the 10th with frost every morning and reports
of trees blackened or scorched across most of New
England . By the end of the month the weather became more typical of
June with even a heat wave from the 22nd through the 24th.
If June was bad enough, July started out no better. A strong
Canadian cold front crossed New England killing corn,
beans, cucumbers and squash and the first talk of famine started. However, by
the middle of the month, thoughts of a famine were almost forgotten as the hardy
grains such as wheat and rye along with potatoes were doing quite well.
The fine weather continued into the middle of August when
another frost occurred over interior New
York and all of New England
damaging many crops. Then on the 20th a strong cold front crossed the
Northeast with violent thunderstorms. Reports of temperatures falling 30 degrees
after frontal passage were not uncommon. Frost was reported the next day as far
south as Massachusetts with snow
reported on Mt Moosilouke in New
Hampshire . Corn was destroyed from
Albany to
Boston . If that cold spell wasn’t
enough, it all came to an end on the 28th when another strong cold
front crossed the Northeast with severe frost that ended the growing season in
most of Northern New England .
The consequences of this season were harsh. Only a third to a
fourth of the hay was cut with only 10 percent of the crop harvested in some
areas. Orchard yields ranged from barren to moderate but enough grains, wheat,
and potatoes were harvested to prevent a famine but hardships did occur. There
were reports of people eating raccoons, pigeons, and mackerel. Corn prices rose
from $1.00 a bushel to nearly $3.00 a bushel. With crop failure and the shortage
of hay, farmers turned to selling their cows and pigs which drove the price of
meat down. With so much meat on the market beef prices dropped from $15.50 to
$7.50 a barrel with pork falling from $16 to $4 a barrel.
So what caused this unusual weather during the summer of
1816? Some believe it was caused by sinners while some even blamed it on
Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod experiments. However, climate data obtained
from trees, ice cores, marine sediment and historical documents indicate 1816
was part of a mini ice age that lasted from 1400 to around 1860. During this
time lower solar output produced harsh winters, shorter growing seasons and
drier climates which were blamed for a host of human suffering and crop failures
such as the Irish Potato Famine. Another
possible cause was the eruption of the Tambora volcano on the
island of
Soembawa in
Indonesia on
April 15th 1815 . The
eruption lasted one week and rumbled for 3 months. The mountain elevation
dropped from 14,000 feet to 9000 feet, killed close to 10,000 people on the
island and another 80,000 people would eventually die from starvation and
diseases related to the eruption. Tambora was one of the largest recorded
eruptions with estimates of 1.7 million tons of dust put into the air equaling 6
million atomic bombs. The theory is that the dust reached the Northern
Hemisphere during 1816 reducing solar output.
Whatever the cause, the next year saw the first general
migration from the Northeast to the Midwest and 1816 also
became know as the Poverty Year. The following poem from Eileen Marguet summed
up the year:
It didn't matter
whether your farm was large or small.
It didn't matter if
you had a farm at all.
Cause everyone was
affected when water didn't run.
The snow and frost
continued without the warming sun.
One day in June it
got real hot and leaves began to show.
But after that it
snowed again and wind and cold did blow.
The cows and horses
had no grass, no grain to feed the chicks.
No hay to put aside
that time, just dry and shriveled sticks.
The sheep were cold
and hungry and many starved to death,
Still waiting for the
warming sun to save their labored breath.
The kids were
disappointed, no swimming, such a shame.
It was in 1816 that
summer never came.
Editor's note: This article displayed for education use only, courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration newsletter Maine-ly Weather.
Eighteen Hundred and Starve to Death takes a slightly different view of the weather events of 1816 and can be found at blog Choosing Voluntary Simplicity.
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