Daily synoptic weather map analysis of the new england cold wave and snowstorms of 5 to 11 June 1816

Abstract

Daily weather maps for 5-11 June 1816 depict the unprecedented June snowstorms and freezing weather events in the northeast US. New sources of data never previously used include ships' logbooks, newspaper extracts and weather journals. The highlight of this work is the discovery and documentation of a hurricane affecting Florida for a four-day period during the cold wave. In addition, newspaper accounts have added new instrumental temperature data including the lowest temperature yet found in the US during this remarkable cold wave. This chapter highlights the large amount of unused data still available for use in reconstructing historical climate variation. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.