St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-02-13
For the Caledonian.
Our Mild Winter.

Our Mild Winter.
BY H. A. CUTTING, STATE GEOLOGIsT.
My record of the weather, showing in
reality its history since, commenced
January LIST, 1848. From that date to
the present we have had no winter like
this. Running back as best we can
down toward 1900, we find it has no
parallel. We have, however, during
this period had Defenders without
snow, and sometimes quite pleasant.
We have had January without much
frost, and some farmers in Vermont
have improved it by blowing their
fields, but sooner or later every year we
have had our winter; hence as this
year gives us both December and Jan =
uary mild and pleasant we may not so
we'll enjoy March and April. This year
our temperature for November was up
to what October has sometimes been,
and December ranged 5 degrees higher
temperature than December 1872, which
was considered at the time very pleas
ant December, and the average tenn
perature has been nearly three times
the average temperature of December,
1872. January is even more marked,
as it has an average temperature of
about 25 degrees, against an average of
about degrees in 1875. The depth of
snow to Feb. LIST, measured as it fell is
but 35 inches, which is less than one
third the usual amount, and less than it
has been any year since 1913, before
that cannot positively know, but have
reason to believe from all the records
can gather that it is less than ever be-
fore in New England. Yet we have
had an usual amount of storm. Fol the
same time we have had IT inches of
rain, which if it had been snow would
have measured SO inches, making the
snow fall 1913 inches, which would be
more than the average. From this you
can see that the temperature alone has
made our winter mild and pleasant.
Many winters the range of temperature
is over 100 degrees while this winter
the greatest cold has been % degrees
below zero, aud the warmest So degrees
above, or a range of only "a degrees.
From this cause our sleighing has been
continuous, though the depth of snow
is as before stated very slight.
But February comes in with a gale of
rs miles per hour. We have had only
one as strong for 81 years and that was
upon Oct. 18th, 1870. Both gales did
considerable damage. The last occa-
stoned the loss of some lives in New
England, as it was in the midst of a
rapid fall of snow, and persons out lost
their way, and the penetrating steady
gale. with temperature slightly above
zero, made it dangerous. What will
the remainder Of our winter be is the
question frequently asked but which
cannot be certainly answered.
1907 was reasonably mild without
great depth of snow until March, but
the last day of March the snow is
said to have been seven feet deep upon
level, with immense drifts everywhere,
and it is recorded that May 1st of that
year the snow would average At feet
deep.
1915, March, April and May were
snowy months-S inches falling May %,
while the early part of the winter was
mild.
1915, snow fell inches on the 9Th OF
June.
l849, March 25 and 26, there came %
inches of snow, and snow was very
deep through April, yet the snow fall
was but "a inches for the year. There
was no sleighing until Jan. 9Th.
1860, on the first of April, snow would
average four feet deep, though we had
but SO inches as it fell, but it largely
came the last of the winter.
1862 was similar. March Is CON-
menced fearful storm which brought
% inches of snow. April first the snow
would average 5 feet deep, yet we had
an early spring.
1868 we had 32i inches of snow fall
in March, and 10 days with thermome-
ter below zero.
1869 the snow would average feet
deep April LIST; as it fell mostly the
last of the winter.
1870 it was the same.
Now comes the query as to the pres,
ent spring. Shall we have great snow
fall There are several reasons why
we think not, among them is the fac,