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| <<<<500 - 750 AD |
| Date | T | R | S | Description | Ref: |
| 751 - 999 | |||||
| 759/760 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) [ Some accounts have this as 761 .. usual dating problems ]. | 1 | |||
| 763/64 (Winter & later) |
The winter is noted as being 'severe' .. and was followed by a " long and terrible drought " .. in the spring/summer of 764: suggests abnormally persistent blocking / high pressure situation (at least, 'abnormal' in length of persistence in the same 'phase'), with the primary jet perhaps shunted well to the south. Some sources note 'great snow', with an 'intense' frost. In 'London Weather' entry, .... "one of the severest winters known in history". (Probably affected large areas of continental Europe, again suggesting a 'Scandinavian High' situation.) | 1, 8 | |||
| ~770 - ~800 | A period of higher frequency of cold winters (note: not necessarily every winter). This leads to the suggestion of blocking of the main Atlantic, westerly flow by often slow-moving, intense anticyclones, or an increased frequency of east or northeast flow with higher pressure to the north of these islands. This would tie in to a certain extent with the idea that Scandinavian exploration / raids were assisted by lack of 'westerly-storminess'. | 1 | |||
| 798 (Winter) |
Ireland: snow - men & animals died. | LWH | |||
| ~800 (December) |
December 24th (original recorded as the 'Eve of Christmas', so presumably we must regard this as an 'Old Style' dating. Also, the exact year is subject to the same uncertainty as other events so long ago): gale: Great SW or W wind. Cities destroyed (!); Lamb has this comment in ref. 23: " The first recorded one of a series of storm floods .. which reduced the size of the island of Heligoland by more than half by the year 1300." | LWH, 23 | |||
| 804 (March) |
March 17th: Ireland - Tornado(?): thunder, wind & lightning. '1010 men killed'. [ I wouldn't normally detail all 'tornado' events, but the death-toll warrants mention, and I do wonder given that over a thousand died, whether this was in fact a 'storm' event due to a major depression rather than a small-scale tornadic event.] | LWH | |||
| 817 (Winter) |
December 25th (presumably logged as 'Christmas Day'): Ireland - snow: many rivers & lakes frozen to February 22nd. [ Although only tied to Ireland, given the severity & length of the event, Britain must also have been affected. ] | LWH | |||
| 821/822 (Winter) |
A severe winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) | 1 | |||
| 827 | Possible severe winter. Thames frozen for nine weeks. | 8, LWH |
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| 844/845 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) | 1 | |||
| 850 | |||||
| 855/856 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb); Great ice & frost until Jan. 7th - rivers & lakes froze. | 1, LWH |
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| 856 | Ireland: gale: very great wind; woods felled. | LWH | |||
| 859/60 (Winter) |
A severe winter in England. | 1, 8 | |||
| 873/874 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (according to Easton, in CHMW/Lamb); Scotland: specifically a cold winter - great frost from November to April; thaw brought floods. | 1, LWH |
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| 880/881 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) | 1 | |||
| 892(?) (November) |
11th November: Ireland - gale, many trees and houses fell. | LWH | |||
| 908 | Possible severe winter. Most English rivers frozen for two months. | 8, LWH |
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| 910 - 930 | Extended droughts with regularity: also thought that the summer half-years were warm or very warm more often than not - some notably hot summers. | 1 | |||
| 912/913 (Winter) |
A severe winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) | 1 | |||
| 917 (Winter) |
Ireland: severe winter - Great snow. Lakes frozen. [ As elsewhere, implies a blocked pattern, with occasional 'Atlantic' incursions. Must have affected Britain as well I would have thought.] | LWH | |||
| 923 | Possible severe winter. Thames frozen for 13 weeks. Year may be 928 or 929. | 8, LWH |
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| 927/928 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) | 1 | |||
| 939/940 (Winter) |
A cold winter. (Easton, in CHMW/Lamb) | 1 | |||
| 941 (Winter) |
Ireland: cold - Lakes & rivers froze. [ I wonder if this belongs to the winter noted above? ] | LWH | |||
| 944 | Possible severe gale/storm in London; many houses destroyed. 1500 houses "fell" (destroyed?): affected the whole of England. | 8, LWH |
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| 946 - 948 | England: drought - 'no rain for 3 years' (unlikely to have been "no" rain - more likely a marked shortage of rainfall / winter snowfall). | LWH | |||
| 955 (Summer) |
Wales: Hot summer. [ Must surely have affected other parts of Britain - indeed, the heat may have been 'exceptional', if the summer was notably hot as far west as Wales.] | LWH | |||
| 973 | Thames flood in London. | 8 | |||
| 974/75 (Winter) |
Probably a severe winter across Britain .. usual doubts about dates etc. Severe winter over whole of Europe until March 11th (OS). | 1, 8, LWH | |||
| 990's | Extended droughts with regularity: also thought that the summer half-years were warm or very warm more often than not - some notably hot summers. | 1 | |||
| 992 | Ireland: Storm flood - tempest (high wind?) submerged island fort in one hour Wicklow. [ The way this is written up suggests that this was a 'storme surge' event, rather than necessarily due to heavy rain - though the latter may have played a part.] | LWH | |||
| 995 (Summer) |
Summer cold throughout Europe; severe frost & ice (quite remarkable if true in July as given on this site!) | LWH | |||
| 998 | Possible severe winter. Thames frozen for five weeks. | 8, LWH |
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| 1000 - 1099>>>> |