Take A Look Back At Pennsylvania’s Year Without A Summer

Most of us, albeit sometimes begrudgingly, will admit that we’ve complained about the long, hot days of summer. Of course, that’s after we swore, during the coldest days of winter, that we would never complain about the heat again. We do it every year in PA, don’t we? Well, can you imagine a year without a summer? It happened once before — and it plunged much of North America and Europe into disaster. Let’s take a look back at Pennsylvania’s year without a summer.

More than 200 years ago, in 1816, summer failed to come to much of North America and Europe.

Little did anyone know at the time, but the world’s largest volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, in 1815, caused the dramatic, although temporary, climate change, dropping the global temperature three degrees.

Global chaos ensued. Snowstorms and bitter cold resulted in the deaths of livestock and food shortages. In fact, numerous European countries faced famine.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania wasn’t spared the hardship of the year without a summer. The northern part of the state, in fact, experienced snowfall on June 6 while Pittsburgh is said to have seen several inches of snow that same month.

And, residents of Chester County, woke up to a half of an inch of ice on the ground on July 5.

The bitter cold in Pennsylvania froze lakes and waterways well into August which, in turn, halted the transportation of goods from the southern part of the United States.

However, the temperatures in Pennsylvania fluctuated that summer, which also led to a drought. To get an idea of how bad the drought was, consider this: Philadelphians asserted that they could easily cross the Schuylkill River by foot. And, their feet wouldn’t get wet.

Between the bitter cold and the drought, the crops suffered throughout Pennsylvania in 1816. As a result, the prices of produce would drastically increase in 1817 when summer finally returned.

Fascinated by Pennsylvania's year without a summer? Then, you just might want to delve into more of the state's history. Click here, for example, to read about nine things you didn't know about PA's history.