Solar cycle 24 has doubled peaked, making it very similar to cycle 12 (starting December 1878, ending in March 1890).
I thought it might be interesting to compare the UK's weather of cycle 12 with the current extremes of wet, wind, cold and a little heat (summer 2013) and what do the historical records of the period show? - extremes of wet, wind, cold, drought & heat (1880, 1881).
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1878(March)
"LOSS OF HMS EURYDICE"
On 24th March, 1878, a sudden and severe squall resulted in the sinking of the naval training ship HMS Eurydice, with the loss of all but two of the approximately 368 men aboard. A strong north-to-northwesterly flow affected the British Isles on the SW flank of large/irregular depression centred over southern Scandinavia. A small-scale secondary depression (polar low?) produced a snowy squall-line, as it ran southeastwards during the afternoon, reaching the Isle of Wight area around mid-afternoon (the time/place of the disaster). HMS Eurydice was a full-rigged sailing vessel, homeward bound from the West Indies after a three month training tour on station. At 3.45pm, the ship was off Ventnor (Isle of Wight) running before a nearly westerly wind, with all sail set. Before sail could be shortened, the squall hit, and as the lee ports were open, the ship took on a large quantity of water, filled and capsized. It has been speculated that the crew had been drinking heavily and had not noticed that snow had gathered in the top sails. However, two enquiries (including the formal 'Court Martial') at the time found that the primary cause of the disaster was the abrupt onset of the squall, after a day of fine weather and I find the 'heavy drinking' explanation highly suspect if not downright misleading. One land-based observer noted how the squall was 'double-fronted', with an advance 'blow' masking the main line-squall. This may have led the Captain of the Eurydice to think that he had time to react to a marked change in the conditions. This was regarded at the time as one of the 'greatest disasters that had befallen the British Navy for many years'. ['Weather', Abercromby & Goldie, pp 168 et.seq., & various web sites.]
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1878/79 (late Autumn/early Winter)
November to January .. notably and persistently cold by CET series.
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1878/79 (Winter)
The coldest winter in a Glasgow composite record from 1868. (2nd coldest was 1962/63) [ for the CET series, winter 1962-63 was the lowest CET = (minus) 0.33, with the winter of 1878/79 coming seventh in the series at + 0.70degC. ]
Ice floes were reported "on the Thames", or in the Estuary.
( see 'Weather' August, 1963: pp226-228 )
One of only four occasions in the CET series when there were consecutive 'sub-zero' mean temperatures: December 1878 (-0.3) and January 1879 (-0.7). [The others were 1684, 1740 & 1963]. [ The coldest winters were: 1684, 1740 & 1963 ]
A very snowy winter / early spring November to April. A severe snowstorm occurred on the 12th November, when northern England and Scotland experienced between 37 and 45 cm of snow. Trees were reported to have been blown down as well as damage reported to sprouts and shrubs.
Number of snowdays (assumed snow-lying, not falling) very large; in places in north there was 3 months cover.
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1879 (late Spring and Summer)
April to August ... notably and persistently cold by CET series. For all these five months, the anomaly was greater than -1C, with April, May & July greater than -2C (wrt all-series mean): more below.
It was also very wet, particularly in June, July & August; loss of bee colonies reported widely & great loss of harvest (see general comment above).
Winter 1878/79 was notably cold (see above). The anomaly (CET) on the standard DJF was -3C all-series mean, and nearly -4C on 'modern-day' values. With the arrival of the longer days of spring & summer, there was to be no 'recovery'; 1879 continued in the same vein, with both seasons having anomalies of around -2C on modern-day values & they are within the 'top-20' of coldest spring & summer seasons in that long series. From April to August, all these months individually were notably cold, with May & July being in the 'top-5' of coldest such-named months across England. The cold, often wet weather was a feature right across the British & Irish Isles; from the west coast of Ireland (Co. Mayo) for example, it was reported that it was a 'disastrous year for farmers', with a very bad harvest. July and August in particular experienced major STORMS with the land being extremely WET. [CET, Diary of John Oram]
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1879 (Summer/early Autumn)
Notably wet period. The five months May to September, 1879 accounted for 580mm of rain by the EWP series; circa 190%. The three 'high-summer' months of June, July & August each had nearly double average (1961-90) rainfall amounts and (up to 1999) was the second wettest summer in the EWP record. Lamb writes: " the summer was the wettest and one of the .. coldest in the long instrument records for England. The cold, wet weather delayed the ripening of the harvest, so that even in East Anglia in some places the corn had not been gathered in by Christmas. The decline of English agriculture, which lasted for fifty years, dated from this time." (Lamb/CHMW)
(Next time this wet in 1903; wettest summer in the series=1912).
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1879/80 (late Autumn & Winter)
November to January .. notably and persistently cold again (see above) by CET series. Compared with continental Europe (see 2. below), the winter was not so severe, but deaths from cold were reported and evergreens were killed. On the 4th December, 1879, the temperature of (minus) 23degF (circa (minus) 31degC) was recorded at Blackadder, Berwickshire though this is not recognised due to poor exposure and lack of certified instrument. Being part of a severe winter, many reports of rivers frozen over. At Exeter, the River Exe was completely covered in ice. (Devon Co.C web site)
December 1879 was the coldest month of the 19th century in France & central Europe, and the cold persisted into January 1880; the Dutch waterways were frozen for nearly two months and in Paris, fifty people died of cold.
28th December, 1879: TAY BRIDGE DISASTER.
The original Tay Bridge (3km/1.85mi) railway crossing was the scene of a disaster during the evening when a section of the bridge was blown away in a storm as a train was crossing over it from south to north. Circa 75 deaths. Some tornadic activity evident as waterspouts were observed in the vicinity. However, even without any such activity, Lamb has stated that 'straight-line' winds in the area were in excess of the 100 mph that the contemporary enquiry suggested were the probable speeds. He also suggests that this was 'one of the great storms' to affect this region of northern Europe.
Notable drought from October to January. Over England & Wales, 40% or less of LTA, and even in Scotland, less than 60% of rainfall for many.
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1879 (Annual)
Unusually unsettled (see individual entries above), and thought to be comparable with worst years of the Little Ice Age; coldest year in London (?Kew Observatory) since detailed records first kept in 1841.
By the wider-area CET record, with a value of 7.4degC (nearly two-and-a-half degC below modern-day means), it was the third coldest year in that series, only beaten by 1695 (7.3degC) & 1740 (6.8degC), both years within the aforementioned 'Little Ice Age' period.
A wet summer - collapse of agriculture.
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1880 (Spring /Summer / early Autumn)
A fine spring / summer across Scotland. The summer is noted in contemporary reports as being 'hot'. The harvest was finished early.
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1880(Autumn /early Winter)
A wet autumn & early winter: the total rainfall (EWP series) from September to December (inclusive) was 502 mm, which represents roughly 140% of the all-series average.
Heavy fall of snow in NE Scotland in the 2nd week of October. Unusually (for the late 20th/early 21st centuries anyway!), an early heavy snowfall between 19th and 20th October, 1880. This snowfall mainly affected southern England for up to 12 hours in places. 30 cm of snow fell at Sevenoaks, Kent and 20 cm at Crowborough, E. Sussex. 15 cm fell in other areas of Kent, as well as London and Surrey, damaging oak and elm trees as foliage was still upon many trees.
Also heavy snow and severe frost in December - the latter being noted at the time as the most intense for 50 years. The harsh conditions continued into early New Year 1881
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1881(January)
The easterly blizzard between the 18th and 20th in 1881 was most intense in central southern counties of England ( Dorset, Wiltshire, and the Isle of Wight ) giving about 1 metre of level snow in the Isle of Wight with heavy drifting. (One of the greatest on modern record). Affected the whole of England, except far north. About 100 people lost their lives and most businesses were halted for a day. Plymouth deprived of water for a week, and it took about a week before road and rail travel returned to normal. In London, the snow depth was about 25cm, with 1m drifts. Possible 5m drift in Oxford Circus. 2 m drifts in Portsmouth. 45cm depth in Brighton, 30cm in Exeter and on Dartmoor, as much as 100 cm.
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1881 (July)
Hot weather affected much of northern Europe through July, but for Britain, the heat only really extended to the London/SE region (see below in Scotland for example). Temperatures reached 35degC in Stevenson screen conditions at Camden Square, and around 32degC at other locations across SE & CS England. ('Weather' August 2004)
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1881(Summer/Autumn)
Snow & frost in June in Scotland, with young grouse dying in large numbers. June, July & August were very cold, and snow fell on August 12th. Harvest began in the second week of October in wet, cold weather, and much of the harvest (corn) had to be brought in green.
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1881(October)
On the 14th/early 15th October in 1881 an exceptionally severe Gale [F9/F10, locally F11] caused extensive damage across the British Isles & areas adjacent to the North Sea, especially along the north east coast of England & across the eastern parts of the English Midlands. 108 ships were reported missing. Inland, this gale was considered a 'great storm' with extensive loss of timber, especially in Scotland. One particular tragedy involved the destruction of almost the entire fishing fleet from the port of Eyemouth in Berwickshire. The morning (14th) had been fine with near-calm wind. 41 vessels, mostly big deep-sea boats sailed out. In the middle of the day, the wind fell light, and then the storm struck suddenly. Nineteen of the boats were lost and 129 men failed to return to port.
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1881(November)
November 1881, with a CET value of 8.9degC (~ +3C on the all-series mean), comes within the 'top-10' of warmest Novembers in this long series. It was often windy, particularly so after mid-month. On the 26th/27th November, 1881, gales strong enough to be called 'hurricanes' toppled at least 500 trees in Betteshanger Park (Kent), and looking at the synoptic pattern of that date, there would have been high winds (& associated damage) elsewhere across Britain.
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1882(Summer)
A wet summer across England & Wales with 303mm using the EWP measure: this represents around 150% of average (whole series). However, in the London area, based on the Kew Observatory record, it was not as wet: indeed only June had above average rainfall (118%), with August notably dry at 29mm (~50% LTA).
Contemporary records from Scotland indicate that it was also wet there, with a poor / delayed harvest.
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1882/1883(Autumn & Winter)
After the wet summer (see above), and a brief 'average' respite in September 1882, the rains returned with a vengeance in October (EWP 163 mm/~180% LTA / in the 'top-10' of such-named wettest months), and marked the start of a significantly wetter-than-average period lasting until February 1883. The total for autumn (SON) was 370 mm (~140%) & that for winter (DJF) was 332 mm (~130%). Flooding was reported nation-wide, and farmers in particular had a bad time, both in trying to rescue that year's ripe crops from the wet summer/autumn weather and trying to plant crops ready for 1883.
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1882 (December)
The heavy snowfall between the 4th and 8th December was the worst snowfall of 1882. Snow fell across southern Scotland, northern England and the northern-most parts of the Midlands. The snowstorm was known as the 'Border Blizzard'. The depth of snow was reported to be over a metre high, with drifting causing roads and railways to be blocked. Nottingham received 15 cm of snow; Sheffield 50 cm, and snowdrifts of up to 6 m blocked roads in Derbyshire for several days. In Scotland, more than 30 cm of snow fell, while at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire the heavy snowfall did much damage to trees and shrubs.
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1882(Annual)
A notably wet year by the EWP series - in the 'top-10' by that measure with a total of 1146 mm/~125% LTA. However, in the Kew Observatory record, the anomaly for the whole year was just 107%, with only four months having above average rainfall. This suggests that the southeastern counties of England fared rather better than elsewhere.
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1883(March)
A 'normal' start to the month (first five days), but as the northerly airstream/[ex-Arctic] set in on the 5th/6th (see below), the weather turned dramatically colder. There were frequent severe frosts, with snow & hail reported throughout the month accompanied by strong gales (occasional further severe gales/see below, especially around the 10th/11th). Eventually, this March, with a CET value of 1.9degC (anomaly ~ -3C) turned out to be in the 'top 5' coldest such-named months in the series (from 1659).
6th: Northerly gales (F9, isolated F10 / squally) northern half of the British Isles. 23 fishing smacks from Hull were lost, with 135 crew-members dead. Over 70 other vessels were damaged. There was also a severe snowstorm over parts of Scotland (presumably north & east) as the cold air set in.
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1883(Spring)
Lack of rainfall across Britain - 'drought' remarked upon across Scotland. Using the EWP series (not necessarily representative of the whole of Britain), the anomaly was between 60 and 70% of average for that season. A subsequent effect upon the harvest etc.
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1883(October)
On the 13th, after a quiet start to the month, the weather became markedly cyclonic, with a persistent run of W or SW winds until well into the second-half of the month. On the 16th/17th, widespread gales, coupled to abnormally high tides caused significant flooding in areas adjacent to the Severn Estuary. In particular, the workings of the nearly completed Severn railway tunnel were flooded. From contemporary reports . . . "Then out of the darkness, there suddenly emerged a tidal-wave engulfing the land with a solid wall of water six feet high". (var. histories of the Great Western Railway)
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1884-1902
(DRY LATE VICTORIAN PHASE)
For these 19 years, 15 had annual rainfall totals below the all-series average, with 5 of those years (1884, 1887, 1893, 1898 & 1902) notably dry. 1887 specifically was the third driest year in the EWP series (q.v.), and the other four had anomalies of 85% or lower. Notably low river flows recorded in parts of southern Britain, particularly over the chalks of SE England. It should be noted that this era coincided with rapid growth in urban areas, both in areal extent and population density: (The 'Sherlock Holmes' period!)
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1884(January)
LOWEST MSL PRESSURE IN BRITISH ISLES
The mean sea level pressure dropped to 925.6 mbar at Ochtertyre, Perthshire (26th). This occurred during the passage of an intense depression across Scotland.
The depression that produced the record-breaking low pressure (as above), was responsible for widespread gales/storms across the British Isles/NW Europe 26th/27th, with considerable damage to trees and buildings. [HS/23]
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1885(Annual)
A chilly year. The overall CET anomaly for the year was -0.6degC, and for the summer in particular it was -0.7degC on the long-term average. The chill was not confined to England, as there are reports of a 'cold, dry & windy' year across Scotland. Frosts were frequent and late (in Spring).
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1886(February /March)
Significant snowstorm affected northern England end of February and early March.
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1886(October)
14th-16th: a depression (small-scale but intense) tracked ENE'wds across central Ireland during the 15th, with lowest pressure estimated ~969 mbar. Gales, at least BF10, were reported by most ships and some coastal stations across the southern part of the British Isles, with ENE'ly gales across Scotland (north of the depression track). The low then moved slowly ESE to central-southern England (perhaps deepening a little) on the morning of the 16th, allowing N'ly gales (at least BF10) to affect the Hebrides. Many trees were blown down across Ireland, the English Midlands & in counties bordering the English south coast. Damage also occurred to standing crops, and the high winds were accompanied by heavy rain, which brought river flooding to England, Wales & Ireland - delaying the harvest - which was already compromised by the wet/windy weather. Some bridges were swept away.
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1886(December)
One of the deepest depressions on record crossed the north of Ireland this month in 1886. Around 1400hrs on 8th December, 1886, the sea level pressure at Belfast touched 927.2 mbar, a value that still stands as the British Isles December record. (as at 2006)(Burt/'Weather'/Feb2007)
In association with the event (above), severe gales were reported widely across the British Isles (& adjacent regions of maritime NW Europe). Lamb notes Bft 11, ocnl Bft 12, the latter at some points on the west coasts of Ireland and France and in the Channel on the 8th. In Wales, great damage to tree stands.
On the 26th, a heavy snowfall (accompanied by a high wind) over southern Britain. The snowfall wrecked overhead telegraph wires and trees for several miles around London, as well as southern and SW England. Kent received over 30 cm of snow, with snowdrifts up to 2.5 metres.
Exceptionally sunny over England & Wales.
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1887(Spring)
Notably and persistently cold by the CET series. Relative to modern-day means, the anomaly for March, April & May combined was over -2C.
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1887(October)
Snow reported as lying on the streets in London on the 11th.
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1887(Annual)
An exceptionally dry year by the EWP series: 669mm; ranks third driest in the EWP series (as of 2012). [ Driest in that series (up to 2012), were 1788 with 612mm and 1921 with 629mm ] . Severe drought recorded across Britain (i.e. not just England & Wales). Major impact upon water supplies, via rivers, wells, aquifers etc. Specifically, hydrologists identify the period late winter 1887 to summer 1888 as the 'core' of the historically extreme precipitation-deficit spell across a range of time-frames.
The focus of the drought occurred from February to July with anomalies across Britain roughly 50-75% of long term average for these 6 months.
['Weather', April 2007 &c.]
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1888(Summer)
In July of this year, ice is reported to have disrupted the fishing fleets in/out of the Faeroes .. this must imply markedly cold conditions at these latitudes, probably extending to at least the Shetland Isles. By the CET series, it was a notably cold summer, with a mean of 13.7degC - in the 'top-10' of coldest summers in that series.
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1890(Summer)
A notably cold summer in the CET record. The anomaly on the all-series mean was around -1.3C (much more on modern-day values), and this summer was one of a cluster of four 'poor-to-indifferent' summers in the first half of the 1890s: 1890 itself, 1891, 1892 & 1894, all with anomalies of -0.7C or greater on the all-series mean.
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1890/1891(Winter)
The winter of 1890/91 was remarkable for its long duration, from 25th November to 22nd January, rather than for the intensity of the frost, though December 1890 was the coldest such-named month in the CET record (q.v.)
During this period (last week of November to third week of January), the average temperature was below 0 degC over nearly the whole of England and Wales and below (minus) 1 degC in East Anglia and the south-east Midlands. Skating in Regent's Park occurred on 43 days, the thickness of the ice exceeding 9 inches (circa 23cm) but the frost penetrated in the ground to a depth of only about 30cm. At Worcestershire, on the Rivers Severn & Avon, the ice was thick enough to allow ordinary road traffic to pass over the ice-covered river and to permit sheep & pigs to be roasted on the surface. Ice floes were reported in the lower Thames and the Estuary.
The first heavy snowfall of the year (1890) occurred between the 25th and 28th November with heavy snow falling over England, especially Kent when up to 60 cm of snow was reported, with 40 cm of snow falling at Ipswich, Suffolk. In Sussex, 30 cm of snow fell at Crowborough on the 26th. In the Ashdown Forest the snow caused evergreen trees to be damaged on the 27th.
A heavy snowfall occurred in England and Wales between the 18th and 20th December. A snowfall of 45 cm occurred at South Petherwin, Cornwall on the 20th, with over 30 cm of snow falling at Batheaston, Somerset on the same day. On the 18th, Llanfrechfa Grange, Gwent had just over 20 cm of snow, and on the 19th, Chepstow, Gloucestershire had a snowfall of 18 cm.
(CEPB): The synoptic pattern was dominated by a large anticyclone covering northern Europe with a marked ridge extending over southern England, giving almost continuous east or northeast winds. [ similar severity to 1946/47 ]
The CET value for the winter (DJF) was 1.5degC, representing an anomaly on the all-series mean of around minus 2C, and compared with 'modern-day' winters, something like minus 3C! In particular, December 1890, with a CET value of -0.8degC/~5C below average, is the coldest December in the CET record.
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Historical weather data link:
booty.org.uk/booty.weather/climate/1850_1899.htm