Colonel William Loring, in his 1849 report as he arrived towards Ft. Vancouver WA, mentioned the smoke and fires while in Oregon.
Cary Mock
@cj-mock.bsky.social
Professor, University of South Carolina, Dept of Geography. Hurricanes, Historical and Extreme Weather Events, Climatology, Meteorology. U Oregon PhD, U Utah MS, UC Davis BS
Still thinking of my Japan 19th century typhoons. This for 1874.
I have looked at the published version of this 1849 diary, but when I visited the Society of CA Pioneers, I never looked at the original one. I assume the published version is ok. oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark%...
Hale, Israel F. and Titus Diary, 1849 - OAC
Israel F. and Titus Hale Diary. The Society of California Pioneers
oac.cdlib.org
On this date in 1819, a small but likely very strong hurricane hit the Bay of St. Louis and Mississippi.
Not many diaries on the Overland Trail Route to Oregon in 1849. I have a handful, the Osborne Cross, William Watson, David Pease, and William Pattison diaries come to mind. Had to rely more on Hudson's Bay Company records.
With the fires going on right now in the Pacific Northwest, thinking of my 1849 fires from BC to N CA. This from Ft Victoria BC in 1849.
For many years when people think about historical climatology they think of Thomas Jefferson. No doubt he did a lot of great things but robust historical climatology is a lot more than just Thomas Jefferson. jeffersonpapers.princeton.edu/welcome/the-...
The Jefferson Weather and Climate Records - The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
The history of Earth’s weather (conditions at a particular place and time) and climate (long term weather patterns and regional environments) is the basis of understanding modern climate trends and we...
jeffersonpapers.princeton.edu
Hurricane Fausto forecasted to be a low-end tropical storm by the time it gets near Oahu. Pressures may be too high for it to sustain that though.
Verbal descriptions for late January 1862 in San Francisco, suggesting it was their coldest day in the historical record.
Soon to be Tropical Storm Bertha. I have a similar intensity and track of a storm in mid September 1837 that had crossed N Florida and re-emerged over the Gulf and impacted New Orleans.
Was looking at the Colusa Sun newspaper, CA 1862. Map, red star is Colusa's location The back sloughs reported 16 ft deep, but it doesn't appear that Colusa itself was flooded. 15 miles SSE, Grand Island was flooded. Not sure if Colusa has slightly higher elevation.
Letter from San Bernadino, CA describing the S CA 1862 floods.
My Winter 1861-1862 California floods newspaper titles list that I got data.
In a newspaper search for January 1862, I was looking at January 1861 instead, but found this accidently concerning 1849 that I don't believe that I have.
American Revolutionary documentaries mentioned the 1778 August Hurricane, so again gazing at my data. Found a letter from Paul Revere (the same famous Paul Revere).
I got the July 4 1776 record for Philly below from Phineas Pemberton. Probably the best instrumental record in America during that time. Ti=temp inside, To=temp outside.
Capital Weather@capitalweather.com · last mo.Thomas Jefferson recorded the weather on July 4, 1776. It was in the 60s and 70s. Today's forecast? Around 100 degrees. Here's a fascinating look at the weather on the day America declared its independence — and how it compares with today: www.capitalweather.com/july-4-weath...
This is untrue for the Western Arctic in 1849. The opposite actually true in my opinion, warmer and northern retreat of sea ice. Some big storms in the Arctic seas.
July 4 not a date known for big Atlantic hurricanes to me, although I do have a New Orleans July 4 hurricane in 1846. My big July 4 weather event for many years is the cold wave in the Intermountain West and Overland Emigrants in 1849.
This from San Francisco, CA, early January 1862. Prelude to later rain on snow event flooding.
Very slight chances right now for tropical development off the Carolinas going into the 4th of July, but it is slight. Tropical storms have impacted the Carolinas in early July but it is rare (more rare than June).
Am still a DC fan, one day, perhaps in retirement, will get to keying in Washington DC records of the earlier 1800s.
USS Decatur in the Battle of Seattle, WA in 1856. I have its log on the weather.
Tropical Storm Arthur formed off Texas. Reminded me of the May-June Texas storms in 1846. A clipping below on the May 28 storm, could have been close to a hurricane.
Very attractive long daily instrumental record but obvious discontinuity/heterogeneous record, some thermometer exposure problems earlier on.
Almost another Donner Party disaster if most of the emigrants traveled a week later in October 1849.
Great rain on snow flood at Oregon City in 1849, from the diary of Reverend George Atkinson.
On 1861-1862 from The book History of the Willamette Valley Oregon.
Looking some (wish I had more) on the June 6-7, 1770 Hurricane at Charleston SC. There was significant wharf damage and a storm surge at low tide.
On this day in 1863, Cat. 2 Hurricane Amanda made landfall in N Florida, the only May hurricane known to hit the USA. There is a small window of no obs, which then it could have been a Cat. 3, but we conservatively declared it a Cat. 2. Paper available at journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
