1740 has the coldest May in CET records as well, just 8.6C, and by the late
spring there were hardly any common birds such as the Blackbird for they had
found the prolonged winter very tough to survive. Incidentally on October
1st 1740 there were widespread snow showers. The cold weather could be said
to have begun in the early spring of 1739 with penetrating cold north east
winds which `scorched' much spring flowering. However it had been very mild
in winter for much of the 1730s though 1731 sent the mercury down to minus
18C in the London area and there were heavy falls of snow.

Ian Currie-Coulsdon



"Gavin Staples" wrote in message
...

Looking at this table

http://www.climate-uk.com/graphs/200410.htm

This is interesting. The current October is almost on normal track now.
The
CET range for October is from 13.3C which was 2001 to just 5.3C which was
in
1740.

That record low of 5.3C, does anyone have any idea from historical records
of course what that must have been like? 5.3 is a normal winter month not
a
mid autumn one.
I must also point out that the winter that year in 1740 was a real
bone
shatterer. It was colder than 1963 and it seems most of that year was very
cold indeed. I still cannot imagine a CET of just over 5 in October.


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Gavin Staples.

Cambridge, UK.

www.gavinstaples.com
site regularly updated


"Inventories can be managed, but people must be led". H. Ross Perot. ~
US
Naval Commander and author.

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