“the Weather”

Date

2-1-1812

Newspaper

Boston Colombian Centinel

Page and Column

Page 4, Column 1

Newspaper Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Serial Number

154

Abstract

Report of weather conditions from Cambridge Massachusetts, January 16-22, 1812. No mention of earthquakes.

Transcript

THE WEATHER. FROM A CAMBRIDGE CORRESPONDENT. [CORRECTED.] Last Saturday the mercury in the thermometer stood at 5° below zero early in the morning. It continued to descend some time after sunrise, was stationary at 6° below all about 9 h A.M.; at10h it stood at 5° below, at 12h 4° below, at 1 ½ P.M. 3° below, at 2h 2° below. This was one of the most remarkable cold days of which we have any account in this place. It was not so uncomfortable as the cold Friday, which was so severely felt two years ago, because the transition was less sudden, and the wind less violent. But the degree of cold as indicated by the thermometer, was considerably greater, estimating the temperature by the mean of three observations taken at the same hours in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening. The following are observations taken with the same instrument in the same place, and at corresponding hours:-- Jan. 19, 1810--8h A .M. 5° below, at 2h P. M. 2° below, at 9h P. M. 6° below, mean 41/3° below. Jan. 18, 1812--8h A. M. 6° below, at 2h P. M. 2° below, at 9h P. M. 9½° below, mean 5 5-6° below. Upon looking over the Meterological Journal kept at this place, I find but two days colder than last Saturday during the last twenty-two years. One of these was the 23d of January, 1792, when the thermometer stood at the hours above mention, 12½° below, 2° below, 5° below, giving at a mean 6 1-3° below. The other was the 26th of Jan. 1807, the thermometer standing at 9° below, 1° below, 9½° below, mean 6 1/3° below. Also a comparison of the observations of July last with those of last Saturday, present a greater range of the thermometer than is to be found in the same interval during the above period of twenty-two years; the greatest and least elevation being 102°, and 10° below, equal to 112°. The following are the extremes of temperature for each year since 1789. bgcolor="#ffffe8"> > size="-2">extreme cold size="-2">ext. heat size="-2">range 1790 size="-2">12° below size="-2">90° size="-2">10° 1791 size="-2">2 size="-2">92 size="-2">94 1792 size="-2">12 size="-2">31 size="-2">103 1793 size="-2">2 size="-2">92 size="-2">94 1794 size="-2">0 size="-2">90 size="-2">90 1795 size="-2">2 size="-2">90 size="-2">92 1796 size="-2">1½ size="-2">90 size="-2">91½ 1797 size="-2">12½ size="-2">89 size="-2">101½ 1798 size="-2">2 size="-2">93½ size="-2">95½ 1799 size="-2">6 size="-2">90 size="-2">96 1800 size="-2">2 size="-2">95 size="-2">97 bgcolor="#ffffe8"> size="-2">extreme cold size="-2">ext. heat size="-2">range 1801 size="-2">1° below size="-2">97° size="-2">98° 1802 size="-2">3 size="-2">91 size="-2">94 1803 size="-2">4 size="-2">95 size="-2">99 1804 size="-2">2 size="-2">91 size="-2">93 1805 size="-2">3 size="-2">96 size="-2">99 1806 size="-2">6 size="-2">93 size="-2">99 1807 size="-2">16 size="-2">90 size="-2">106 1808 size="-2">6 size="-2">96½ size="-2">102½ 1809 size="-2">7 size="-2">93 size="-2">100 1810 size="-2">7 size="-2">91 size="-2">98 1811 size="-2">8 size="-2">102 size="-2">110 The greatest degree of cold which I have noticed during the few last cold days was on Saturday night about 12 o'clock, when the mercury in the thermometer had descended a little more than 10° below zero. It would probably have fallen several degrees lower had the weather continued fair till morning. But at five o'clock, when the sky was overcast it had risen 2°; and although it continued to rise, the cold was very unusual for a storm. A singular phenomenon occurred yesterday. The thermometer rose in the course of the forenoon from 6° to 28° and descended again to 10° before 2 o'clock in the afternoon, occasioned apparently by the wind shifting to the east, and back again. Some remarked that there was a slight fall of rain about the time the weather was the most moderate. Cambridge, Jan. 21, 1812. AN OBSERVER. P. S.-The following is an account of the state of the thermometer for this period of cold weather, including a week. Short intervals of more extreme cold are not unfrequent; but such a degree of cold for so many days in succession, it is believed, is not to be found in the records of the thermometer in this place. 8 A.M. 2 P.M. 9 P.M. size="-2">Mean Jan. 16, 5° above 8° above 1° above 4 2-3° above 17, 1 below 10 do. 3 do. 4 size="-2">do. 18, 6 do. 2 below 9½ below 5 5-6° below 19, 5 do. 3 above 4 above 2-3° above 20, 6 above 10 do. 7 do. 7 2-3° do. 21, 1 do. 7 do. 2 below 2 size="-2">do. 22, 7 below 5 do. 6 below 2 2-3° below Average temperature for the week 1½ Above nearly. January 24, 1812.

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