Winter of 1861-62

[Typeing3]

Quite possibly the coldest winter in recorded history. Unfortunately most of the records that far back are only written, with little in the way of temperature and precip data.

Nevertheless judging off written accounts, December was very wet in our region, but an extreme suppressed jet pattern locked in an icebox over much of the PNW from January thru March with the Fraser frozen over right out to Richmond. Meanwhile, California got slammed with endless rains and massive floods with the entire central valley turning into a shallow inland sea. Was basically a very, very, very extreme version of winter 2016-17.

Here's an excerpt detailing the frozen Fraser at the time:

Ice appeared on the 1st January, 1862, and the river at New Westminster was unnavigable on the 4th; it was completely frozen over on the 9th, and the ice attained a thickness of 13 inches in the channel opposite the R. E. Camp, on the 12th of February.

Sleighs were running from Langley to several miles below New Westminster, and persons walked from Hope to the latter place, a distance of 80 miles, on the ice, at the end of January.

Lake Harrison and the other lakes were frozen. Navigation from New Westminster was open to the mouth of the river on the 11th of March, and from Yale on the 12th April.

Source: https://books.google.ca/books?id=XHZGaS ... &q&f=false

[Typeing3]

Stock, Lox and Barrels – From the Hard Winter of 1862

Thirteen inches of ice on Fraser River

The Fraser River was frozen at New Westminster for the longest time in January and February of 1862. Corporal Leech reported that floating ice rendered the Fraser River unnavigable on January 4, and by January 9 the river was frozen over.

It was March 11 before steamers could navigate from the mouth of the Fraser River to New Westminster, and another month before the river was free enough from ice for boats to reach Yale, on April 12, 1862.

The minimum temperature — taken at the standard time of 9:30 a.m.— occurred on the 15th of January when it was 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

On January 31 the ice on Fraser River was 9.5 inches thick.

"Sleighs were running from Langley to several miles below New Westminster, and persons walked from Hope to the latter place, a distance of 80 miles, on the ice, at the end of January."

The ice thickened to a maximum depth of 13 inches on February 12, 1862, measured in the channel between Sapperton and Herring’s Point.

In addition to freezing cold, further up the valley the snow lay deep on the ground. At Hope and Yale it was reported 4 to 8 feet deep, and over the roofs of the houses.

Source: https://oppositethecity.wordpress.com/2 ... r-of-1862/

[Typeing3]

Further accounts from New Westminster

Snow appeared upon the mountains in November, and until shortly before Christmas, the weather was good.

A little before Christmas there was hard frost increasing in intensity till January 9th, 1862, when the river froze over opposite New Westminster, remaining so till the early part of March.

The minimum temperature was 161/2 below zero [-16.5F/-26.9c].

Such a winter has not been known in the country for 13 years.

Accounts from Lillooet

In 1861, the severest winter known for 20 years began on the 27th of November, and may be said to have lasted till the end of March, although the river did not break up till April 15th.

The thermometer attained a minimum of 25 below Zero [-25f/-31.7c].

There were 10 weeks of continued frost, when the thermometer frequently got below zero in the evenings and mornings. But the weather was always clear and sunny.

The snow was at one time 12 inches deep, but at other places in this section of country there were last winter 2 feet of snow, a depth however very unusual.

Notwithstanding this, most of the stock, left to winter out and find their own food as best they might, survived.

Source: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections ... /1.0222593 (Page 9)

[Glacier]

The first official weather stations opened in 1871, but ya, 13 inches of ice sounds unheard of ... I wonder how deep it was in 1950? Or 1875?