1879 was a very cold year, the third coldest year on record with an annual CET of just 7.42
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
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
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 were 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: continous 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.
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.
Looking back at individual months for this year,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
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
Westwood 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
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 cold 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 east 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. Gales 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 pains on 9 days and drift on 2 of them.
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)
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, hawthorn 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."
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 could not 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)
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
August
There were severe thunderstorms and violent hailstorms on the 2nd and 3rd of August. Here are some reports of this event Halford House: A neighbour gathered some of the stones; the weight of four of them weighed more than 1lb Dunster Lodge: The largest measured was 5.75 inches in circumference Surbiton Hall: Conservatories destroyed Kingston: Hailstones were picked up by the inspector of police which measure 5 inches in circumference. Teddington: This town did not escape the severity of the storm and much glass is destroye din a ll directions. Teddington station: A few lamp-tops smashed Twickenham: At about 2 o'clock (morning), a severe storm of rain was suceeded by a tremendous downpour of hailstones the size of walnuts. Perhaps the greatest individual loss is that which has happened to Messrs T and J. Smith of Richmond Rd, who have no less than 13,740 square feet of glass completely pulverised, involving a loss of between £200 and £300. Richmond: The windows all along the riverside of Hill St and King St have been smashed without mercy. Roman Catholic Chapel, Richmond: One side faces NE and although not in an exposed position, nearly one fourth of the panes, both of ground and coloured glass were broken. Guildford: We had an awful thunderstorm for two hours or more, from 11pm to 1am. I never saw the like before - one continued blaze of light and one continuous roll of thunder. Granchester Mill, Cambridge: Lightning and thunder was incessant, there was about 56 flashes per minute. Cambridge Observatory: Terrible thunderstorm passed over Cambridge during the night of August 2nd and morning of the 3rd, the severity of which has not been equalled in Cambridge since the memorable hailstorm of August 9th, 1843. The weather during the morning of the 2nd was pleasant, slight haze was noticed round the horizon, with a moderate breeze from east; by 5 o'clock cumuli began to collect from the southeast and the atmosphere became rather oppressive and slight fears were entertained that a thunderstorm might occur but towards 8pm, the clouds began to move and break up and it was not until 9.45pm, that thunder was first heard, the wind then having very strong; by 10pm the violence of the storm was over us, the sky was illuminated for 1 hour with incessant flashes of sheet and forked lightning, whilst there was a continuous rorar with thunder rain and wind. At 11pm, the moon began to break through the clouds and hopes again were entertained that the worst was over but at 1.45 am another storm arose far more severe, lasting till 5am, the rain the whole time was alarming and the sky was blazing with incessant sheet and occasional forked lightning. Haughley, Suffolk: We had a most fearful storm of lightning, thunder and rain about 2.30am till about 4.15am. The whole atmosphere was kept alight by lightning , the darkness being momentary.
August continued
Selborne Thunder 6 days Rain: 6.45" (+3.27") Rain days: 22 Highest max: 79.0F (12th)
Hitchen Cold wet month Rain: 4.61" (+2.26") Rain days: 18 Highest max: 71.0F (11th, 15th)
Banbury The storm of 2nd, which was very severe, commenced a little after 8pm, with lightning of a purple colour and very frequently accompanied by rattling thunder. Rain: 4.31" (+2.18") Rain days: 19 Highest max: 76.0F (12th)
Culford The thunder and hailstorm of 2nd and 3rd was most terrific; the thunder was one continuous roar and the hailstones were a tremendous size, some of them measuring 5 inches in circumference; upwards of of a thousand panes of glass were broken here.
Cossey The nights were cold and the crops matured slowly. Harvest commenced here on the 29th, 8 days later than in 1860. During the height of the storm on the morning of the 3rd the sheet lightning came in regular waves with forked lightning very few seconds followed by loud peals of thunder. No such storm has been known here since 1843.
Shifnal Thunderstorm with violent wind on the night of 2nd. Tomatoes on wall do not even blossom. Rain: 6.16" (+3.29") Rain days: 18 Highest max: 74.0F (11th, 12th)
Killingholme A cold month; no harvest work begun beyond cutting some worthless crops of peas. Apples, pears and plums a failure.
Haverfordwest Wheat and barley will not be half a crop. Very severe thunderstorm on the 2nd. Rain: 7.59" (+2.71") Rain days: 22 Highet max: 74.0F (12th, 13th)
Hawick Oats and barley are only beginning to colour. Apples and pears will not ripen this season and no plims. Potato disease very bad.
Braemar A month of changeable cold damp weather Rain: 4.15" (+0.31") Rain days: 21 Highest max: 73.8F (12th)
Darryane Potato disease spreading much. Harvest very backward.
September
Banbury Highest max: 68.0F (3rd) Some corn still uncut. Harvest both deficient in quality and quantity
Culford Mean temp: 55.4F Polar winds on 8 days. Severe thunderstorm on the night of the 16th
Bodmin Highest max: 67.0F (15th) Mean temp: 57.8F Shifnal Highest max: 67.0F (6th) Harvest sadly prolonged.
Orleton 11th month in succession below the mean average. Latest harvest ever remembered.
Boston Highest max: 73.0F (3rd) The harvest is the lastest known since 1860. Wheat was not in ear until the end of the first week in July, in 1860 it was a few days later. The average time for this district is 16th of June, the earliest being 27th May 1868, in which year the mean temp of May, June and July respectively were 8F, 3F and 2F above the average; this year the temps of those month were 5F, 2F and 5F below the average.
Grimsby Highest max: 70.0F (7th) The unsettled weather of the previous months still continued and harvest work still a gloomy and depressing task.
Hawick The potato crop has not failed so completely in this district since 1847
Sandwick Highest max: 61.0F (8th) Mean temp low, in fact that all of the months this year has been below the average of the last 52 years. Sleet on the 29th.
Killaloe A very unfavourable month for harvest work; crops ripening slowly and unevenly from wet and absence of sunshine.
October
Selborne NE winds prevailed during the dry part of the month. Highest max: 63.0F (6th) Lowest min: 28.0F (26th)
Hitchen Harvest still not completed Highest max: 60.0F (1st) Lowest min: 29.0F (15th)
Culford Polar winds prevailed during 10 days.
Shifnal Fog or mist daily, from 5th to 14th, with high bar. Apples almost a failure, pears abundant but many spoilt by cracking. Highest max: 61.0F (1st) Lowest min: 27.3F (16th)
Boston A great deal of dull foggy weather. Slight fall of snow on 15th.
Grimsby Short crop of apples and pears. Turnips very small on clay land. Highest max: 60.0F (1st, 24th) Lowest min: 33.0F (26th)
North Shields Snow and hail on 14th and 15th. Highest max: 59.2F (23rd) Lowest min: 31.4F (26th)
Haverfordwest Finest and driest October for many years. Highest max: 63.0F (6th) Lowest min: 37.0F (25th)
Quinish A fine month on the whole with a very unusual amount of calm and fog. Slight hoar frost from 25th to 29th.
Aberdeen A fine, dry month, though at times cold. Highest max: 61.2F (10th) Lowest min: 30.1F (27th)
Darrynane Abbey A fine month with northerly and easterly winds and very calm sea.
November
Culford A month of exceedingly cold and winterly, snow falling more or less on 11 days. NWly prevailed during the greater part of the month.
Cossey Snow about 5 inches deep on the level on the 30th. Highest max: 51.0F (5th) Lowest min: 23.5F (22nd) Air frosts: 11
Shifnal First snow fell on the 20th; Winds persistently from NW, N and NE. Ice would bear on 16th. Highest max: 54.0F (18th) Lowest min: 19.0F (15th) Air frosts: 16
York First snow on 1st, ice bore on the 15th. Highest max: 57.0F (5th) Lowest min: 24.0F (23rd) Air frosts: 12
Annahill Prevailing winds NE and NW Highest max: 54.8F (20th) Lowest min: 24.0F (30th) Air frosts: 12
Quinish Hard frosts from 24th to 30th
Portree Four last days of month frosty with showers of snow
Sandwick The weather ws open until 29th, when a snowstorm began and still continues (Dec 2nd) Highest max: 53.0F (9th) Lowest min: 28.8F (30th) Air frosts: 3
December
This had an exceptionally cold start. 21st November-19th December CET: -0.3
There were some exceptionally low minima including the now discredited -23F (-30.5C) at Blackadder in Berwickshire, which for many years was accepted as the record minimum recorded in the UK
Camden Square A month of fogs Highest max: 52.8F (28th) Lowest min: 16.1F (7th) 24 air frosts
Selborne Heavy snow on 5th, prevailing wind north Highest max: 47.0F (28th) Lowest min: 8.0F (7th)
Banbury Mean temp: 32.0F Highest max: 52.0F (28th) Lowest min: 8.0F (6th)
Culford A remarkably cold month (mean themp: 30.4F) with much hoar frost and fog. Only 5 nights which did not fall below 32F and 10 days where it did not exceed as 32F for maximum. On the 6th, the thermometer registered 1F and on the surface of the snow, -6F.
Cossey A dry cold month, Min in air on 2nd, 4F, and on snow -8F Cirencester Very cold with great prevalence of E and NE winds
Shifnal The ice was 3 inches thick on the 1st and 4 inches by the 7th. Very little snow; much fog, especially from 16th to 19th. Milder weather set in on the 28th Highest max: 53.0F (28th) Lowest min: 11.0F (7th) 23 air frosts
Orleton The rivers were all frozen by the 3rd. Highest max: 57.0F (28th) Lowest min: 13.0F (7th) 25 air frosts
Boston During the first 2 weeks, the weather was intensely cold, the mean temp of that period being 24F or 16F below the average. The mean min temp 17F Highest max: 53.0F (31st) Lowest min: 0.0F (7th) 26 air frosts
Manchester On the whole dry and cold, fog more prevalent than usual and on the 12th most intense. The cold on the 7th was also very intense and the temp recorded was 10F at Alexandra Park. 4 inches of snow on 6th. Highest max: 48.0F (27th) Lowest min: 10.0F (7th)
Haverfordwest The frost during the first 5 days very intense, the river Cleddy more or less completely frozen. The frost continued till the 24th and skating was enjoyed almost the whole of that time. Highest max: 52.2F (31st) Lowest min: 11.0F (5th) 19 air frosts
Hawick Thermometers at zero on 3rd and 2 below on 11th. Many of the more tender shrubs are much injured.
Killaloe Severe frost every night till 14th.
Max, min temperatures (F) recorded at Nancy, France
November 1879 26th: 30,37
27th: 23,31
28th: 16,29
29th: 18,30
30th: 26,31
December
1st: 25,31
2nd: 20,22
3rd: 2,17
4th: 10,32
5th: 20,22
6th: 16,24
7th: -5,10
8th: -12,4
9th: -7,13
10th: -11,12
11th: 17,22
12th: 24,26
13th: 20,26
14th: 2,17
15th: 7,19
16th: 0,16
17th: -3,16
18th: 6,23
19th: 12,30
20th: 18,25
21st: 0,13
22nd: -3,15
23rd: 0,26
24th: -3,15
25th: -3,16
26th: 8,26
27th: 17,24
28th: 1,26
29th: 28,35
Edited by user
21 May 2013 21:32:29
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MANCHESTER SUMMER INDEX for 2021: 238
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