Weather Records

[Californian]

Greetings,
My online searches are coming up with nothing on this topic.

I’m looking for weather records for 1857-60 for the entire US (California included).



Thank you,
Joshua Block
1st California CO I.
&
Civilian Contingent

[NoahBriggs]

Re: Weather Records

I looked once as well. No luck.

Standardized weather data started to be gathered during the War by the Field and General Hospitals. It was submitted to the US Naval Observatory on a monthly basis. This information was eventually compiled and became the beginnings of the US Weather Service.

In the meantime, one is stuck reading diaries and journals of the era looking for weather references.

[Dignann]

Re: Weather Records

Joshua,

You probably won't find the information you're looking for on-line, but it may exist. The records of some war-era weather observatories are located at the National Archives in Wahsington, D.C., and were microfilmed a few years ago by the National Weather Records Center in Asheville, N.C.

I'll see if I can't get a citation and record group number for you.

Eric

[Hank Trent]

Re: Weather Records

Not nation-wide, unfortunately (I wish!), but here's a site for Kentucky weather at various battles, that I ran across recently:

http://kyclim.wku.edu/factSheets/civilWar.htm

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Weather Records

If the weather was particularly spectacular (extremes any direction), reference might show up in farm or crop reports, agriculture notes, or newspapers.

[Lone Guard]

Re: Weather Records

Joshua,

Depending on how gun ho you are, civilian and soldier's letters/memoirs might yield up some information for certain cities or locations. However, my estimate would be they would only write about beautiful weather, or really awful weather (rain, snow, storms; and what damage or changes they brought about).

You know the saying, "it's nothing to write home about".

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Weather Records

This may not get you much, but if you look on your local National Weather Service site, you may find historical articles posted. Even if they don't cover your period, you can often contact the author. I've gained a whole lot of respect for the friendly, helpful nature of most of the NWS and Storm Prediction Center folks. On all but one occasion (and I don't know that he even got my e-mail), if the person I contacted didn't know the answer, they found someone who did. Nearly every office seems to have a history buff around.

I was surprised to find a Battle of Gettysburg weather site, and more surprised to find it wasn't as hot as I'd thought during the battle. The bulk of the misery probably came from fighting with too few breaks and too little water.

Becky Morgan

[acwillen]

Re: Weather Records

Part of the duties of every US Army Post Surgeon, starting before 1820 and going until at least 1892 IIRC, was recording weather observations. The form for the time period you're interested in was called the "Meteorological Register" (formerly "Form No. 3 Meteorological Register"). It included daily temps at three times of day (originally 7AM, 2PM, and 9PM, but later generalized to "AM", "PM", and "Evening"), prevailing wind and weather conditions, and barometric readings. It was one page per month, with the barometric readings on the back, and was designed to be folded in half for submission up the chain. NARA has them available on microfilm. That'd get you that part of the "entire US" where there were Army posts.

It's not free, but this site also may have what you're looking for, but I'm not sure they go back far enough:

Weather Source

Hope that helps some.

[OlszowyTM]

Re: Weather Records

Data as kept by the Eastern Dispensary, NYC by JP Loines MD, Chairman of the Meteorlogical Committee of the County Medical Society(NY County) for the year 1863, can be found in :

"Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of NY for the year 1864", Albany, Comstock & Cassidy Printers, 1864.

Article XXV-Mortality of the City of NY, by Cyrus Ramsey, MD,LL B, Registrar of Records & Statistics, City of NY

pp 287-314

Temperature, moisture, weight, direction & condition of the atmosphere was recorded at 3 times during the day--6Am, 2PM, 10PM

Comparisons were made for winters & summers from 1853-63.

Interestingly, there was a comment on the fact that the winter of 62-63 was "warmer than usual by 2 degrees...of the last 10 years....observations being made by the same observer,in the same places and by the same instruments.." (Global warming???)

The author goes on to compare death rates from 'cholera infantum', 'sunstroke/heat effects' & 'total deaths' in from Jul-Aug 62 & Jul-Aug 63.

The report also distinguishes between "dry" & "wet" bulb readings.

The NYPL may have copies of additional annual reports.