May weather on Prince Edward Island can be unpredictable and May of 1977 provided ample proof for this conclusion. The month began with a low temperature of -4.4°C and it remained quite cool, especially at night until the 20th of the month. On May 11th there was 8.4 cm of snow reported at the Charlottetown Experimental Farm Weather Station and on May 23rd the temperature reached a high of 32.0°C. Some accounts of the weather during the month have been located in letters, diaries, and newspapers.
Lillian Scales of Charlottetown wrote a letter to her daughter, Nora on May 29th, 1977 which mentions some extreme weather incidents. In the letter, Mrs. Scales mentioned that her eldest daughter, Joan came home for a visit to Charlottetown from Ottawa during the first part of the month. When Joan left Ottawa there was a heat wave and she brought clothes that were appropriate for warmer temperatures. She had a shock as she encountered freezing temperatures and snow flurries upon arrival and her mother had to turn up the furnace full blast to keep her warm. Joan left Charlottetown on May 18th to return to Ottawa.
The weather remined cold on PEI with a low temperature of -0.6°C on the 19th of May. A few days later on May 22nd, the temperature reached a high of 27.8°C and the following day, May 23rd it reached a peak temperature of 32.0°C at Summerside. The temperature remained high until May 25th when it reached 23.9°C and then later on that day the temperature dropped substantially to 8°C and was accompanied by a ferocious thunderstorm with severe lightning. This storm caused damage all across the province with many houses struck, some houses burnt, electricity was knocked out and many televisions were burnt out. According to Lillian Scales the temperature “dropped like a stone”. It took the telephone technicians and electrical light men many days to get everything back to normal.
After this storm the temperature remained cold with almost freezing conditions at night. Mrs. Scales had planted some tomatoes in her garden during the heat wave, but she was forced to cover them up with inverted flowerpots to keep them from being frozen. On the 29th the temperature reached a high of 7°C but was expected to drop to 1°C in the evening.
Other accounts of the weather during May of 1977 were found in some diary entries from residents of the Freetown area. Georgie Cairns of Lower Freetown commented on the extreme weather in her diary.
May 2nd: The previous night was a record cold for 1st of May.
May 10th: Cold wind
May 11th : 26 cm of snow. Turned to rain.
May 13th: Cold and rain most of the day.
May 15th: Cold
May 20th : Lovely day.
May 21st: William started on the land.
May 22nd: Hot for the time of year.
May 25th: Wyman harrowing. Bad thunder/lightning struck tree up by Staverts’ gate on our line. Also struck Edward Pearson’s electric light line near transformer. Ruined transformers and conduit lines at Edward’s house. Burnt out several televisions besides Edward’s.
Another resident of the Freetown area, Mrs. Elizabeth (Reg) Reeves recorded some weather observations during the month of May, 1977.
May 10th: Cold day
May 11th : Snowed all day.
May 13th: A real chilly night.
May 24th: A very hot day. Thunder squalls in late PM. Got some sweet peas and planted them.
May 25th: Another thunder squall after supper so we remained at home. Yesterday was the hottest day on record since the 18 teens.
May 27th: Intended to go to Summerside today but it started to rain at noon, and it did rain and real cold.
Newspaper records provide further information about the weather during the month.
May 2nd: Lobster catches at Gaspereaux were not very good according to Wendall Graham. Setting day was cold and windy so many fishermen were unable to set their traps.
May 11th: Island Farmers were forced to hold back on planting dure to cold and rainy weather. According to the Charlottetown Weather Office the unseasonably cold weather was caused by cold air from Northern Canada.
May 23rd: A large barn owned by Mrs. John Edward Cameron of Wellington Centre was struck by lightning at 5:30 pm when a heavy electrical storm was passing through the area. The barn and contents were totally destroyed. Many homes were struck in many parts of the province. The home of Larry Yeo was damaged at Lot 16 and Robert Walker of Crossroads lost his television. The home of George Whitlock of Crossroads was also struck. The CB radio antenna at Sam’s store in North River was damaged. A grass fire in North River was also started by lightning.
In West Prince County several homes in the Alberton were struck by lightning including the home of Robert Campbell, MLA, known by many as the “Great West Wind”. Several homes had light bulbs burnt out by the storm. Heavy rains poured down in the Alberton / Elmsdale area and this delayed planting for a few days. The Bloomfield and Tignish areas didn’t get the rain on the 23rd but they did get heavy rain the next day.
May 25th: A second lighting storm struck the Charlottetown area resulting in many transformers and fuses blown out. Maritime Electric Officials reported that crews worked around the clock as the storm practically covered the entire province.
May 28th: Jim Cameron of Island Telephone reported that many telephone lines were damaged by the electrical storms of the previous week. Long distance service from Charlottetown to Souris and South Lake had a major disruption. The lightning strikes put holes in the cables and water was accessing and burning out equipment. It was one of the worst storms ever experienced by the company.
The above provide ample evidence that there was very changeable and extreme weather during May of 1977.
Sources: Mrs. Lillian Scales, letter, May 29, 1977; Nora Scales, personal communication, 2024; WillScott Farm Diaries, May 1977; Environment Canada Historical Climate Data, May 1977; Elizabeth Reeves Diary, May 1977, PEI PARO; Journal Pioneer, May 24th, 1977; Guardian, May 28, 1977; Guardian, May 12, 1977; Guardian, May 26, 1977; Evening Patriot Newspaper, May 2, 1977.
The growing season for 2023 up to August 31st has been unusual with much lower than normal precipitation in April and May but the other 3 months having lots of rain. The month of July was very warm with much higher than normal rainfall in some areas, especially in southern Queens and Kings Counties.
Prior to 2023, the extreme high temperature recorded on Prince Edward Island was on June 1, 1937 at Alliston, PEI at 31.7°C This was a station which was established by Agriculture Canada
On June 1, 2023, there were 38 stations across the province that exceeded this historic record with the high reading recorded at Arlington Orchard in Central Prince County at 36.7 °C which was 5 degrees above the previous record for this day. The measurement of these high readings was made possible by the investment of UPEI, MCPEI, PEIEMO and private operators in establishing a number of new climate stations across the province providing much needed coverage in many areas which previously didn’t have a recording station.
Location
Station Owner
High Temperature °C
Arlington Orchard
UPEI
36.7
Warren Grove
UPEI
35.1
Belmont
UPEI
35.0
West Cape
UPEI
34.9
York
UPEI
34.9
Lennox Island Greenhouse
MCPEI
34.8
O’Leary – Howlan
UPEI
34.8
Fox Island
UPEI
34.7
Foxley River
UPEI
34.7
Hog Island
MCPEI
34.6
Wellington
Private
34.3
Abram’s Village Wharf
UPEI
34.2
Baltic
UPEI
34.2
Cavendish
UPEI, Parks Canada
34.2
Lower Freetown
UPEI
34.1
Graham’s Road
UPEI
33.9
Johnston’s River
UPEI
33.8
Brudenell
UPEI
33.7
Stratford
UPEI
33.7
New Glasgow
UPEI
33.4
Abney
UPEI
33.3
Newton
UPEI
33.3
Riverdale
UPEI
33.3
Glen Valley
UPEI
33.2
Alberry Plains
UPEI
33.1
Winsloe South
UPEI
33.0
Heatherdale
UPEI
32.9
Shamrock
UPEI
32.9
Mt. Vernon
UPEI
32.8
Tignish Acadian
UPEI
32.8
Maple Plains
EC
32.7
Elmwood
Private
32.6
Fanning Brook
UPEI
32.3
Scotchfort
MCPEI
32.1
Summerside (Slemon Park)
EC
32.1
Little Sands
UPEI
32.0
Albany
UPEI
31.8
Alliston
UPEI
31.8
Charlottetown
VanKampen’s
31.7
Sources: Environment Canada Climate records; UPEI, MCPEI & PEIEMO climate records; Privately operated weather stations on wunderground.com; June 2023.
Climate information about the year 1836 can be deciphered from diaries and almanacs and other historical records which have been found for the year. Detailed diary and almanac records are available for the entire year from more than one source for this year.
The individuals who kept records during the year are:
Daniel Hodgson who was born at Charlottetown in 1803 and lived on Richmond Street in Charlottetown, he was a coroner and held other colonial government positions. He was a member of the St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
Hon. Peter MacNutt was born in 1796 at Darnley and lived and farmed in Darnley, Prince County. He was also an elected representative for his district in the Colonial Legislature at Charlottetown;
David Ross was born at Scotland about 1811 and relocated to PEI in 1836 He lived and farmed at Marshfield, PEI.
Rev. Louis Charles Jenkins was the rector on St. Paul’s Anglican Church, corner of Grafton and Prince St., Charlottetown from 1828 to 1854.
Figure 1: David Ross Property, Marshfield, 1880 Atlas of PEI
The year started off on January 1st a fine clear day which was cold and wind blowing from the west in Charlottetown. There was some snow on the 5th of the month with thawing conditions on the 10th and 11th . It was thawing on the 12th and the 13th with the streets nearly bare. By the 16th it had turned cold and windy. On the 17th a delivery of the English mail from December arrived with the temperature reaching a low of -24.4 C in Charlottetown. On the next day (18th) there was a snowstorm with 20.4 cm falling with wild conditions for a short time with a temperature of -12°C and the snow continued into the 19th. The weather was fine until the 22nd when there was a heavy thaw with rain. More snow fell on the 23rd, 25th and 26th in Charlottetown with a heavy snowfall on the 25th. . . The temperature dropped to a low of -25.6°C on January 27th, with moderate northeast winds. On the 28th there was heavy snow but no wind. The weather remained cold when it turned mild on the 30th and then on the 31st there was heavy rain with wind from the South and thawing conditions with bad walking.
The thawing conditions continued on February 1st however it turned cold on the 2nd. It was very cold on the 4th and on the 5th there was a snowstorm. Fine cold weather conditions remained until the 9th when there was another thaw. There was a snowstorm on Valentine’s Day and it was windy and cold the next day. The temperature dropped to -26.1°C on the 16th and then on the 18th there was a violent snowstorm. The cold weather continued until the 22nd when the temperature rose above freezing with thawing conditions. It remained mild until the 25th when there was also heavy rain. The last few days of February turned cold with some windy days. The English mail arrived in Charlottetown on the 29th and it was noted that ice travel was still going well.
March started out mild with heavy rain on the first day and it remained mild until the afternoon of the 2nd when it turned cold. March 3rd and 4th were very cold days with high winds from the west-northwest direction. It turned mild again on the 5th and some snow fell on the 7th. The weather turned mild and soft on the 8th, and it remained mild until the 13th when it turned very cold with northwest winds. On the 14th there was a snowfall and it then turned cold until the 20th when there was a very cold and raw night. Mail which had been lost in November turned up on March 20th. There was fine weather with good travelling until the 23rd when there was another snowstorm. It cleared up for one day and then another snowstorm with sleet on the 25th. The next two days were clear and fine but the 28th was very cold with the temperature dropping to -11°C and raw winds from the northeast. On the 29th it was bright and cold with the temperature reaching a low of -12°C. The last two days of the month were warm, clear and fine with winds from the south and the snow was melting.
April 1st was Good Friday, and it was nice in the morning but turned very cold again in the afternoon with raw winds from the northeast. It remained cold on the 2nd with a very cold night. April 3rd was a fine day, and a flock of geese flew over Charlottetown. The 4th was a mild day, but the 5th was cold with easterly winds. The cold weather remained on the 6th, but the snow had melted from the streets. The ice was still good for travelling in the Charlottetown Harbour on April 7th. On April 9th it turned mild with the temperature reaching a high of 10°C which was stated by Louis Jenkins to be “uncommonly fine”. Colder weather retuned on the 11th and 12th but was short-lived as milder temperatures returned on 13th with a southeast wind. On the 14th the winds changed to the easterly direction, and this brought colder weather. On the 15th Louis Jenkins sold a cow to a man from Dog River who he had previously bought a foal for 5 pounds which he paid in firewood to be delivered next winter. The 16th was fine with winds from south and on the 17th the channel of the Hillsborough River was beginning to open in a few locations. The was a south wind on the 18th but still a bit cool. The next day there was rain, the channel of the river was now open and W. Compton’s house burnt in Charlottetown. The roads were improving for travel on the 20th and by the 22nd the ice in the river was completely gone. There was a sharp frost on the evening of 22nd which formed ice ¾ of an inch thick. Louis Jenkins paid Mr. Hobbs 2 shillings for geese and brant on the 22nd. On the 24th of April there was a heavy snowfall which turned to rain which melted all the snow. It turned cold again on the 25th and 26th with a light snowfall of about 5 cm on the 27th. A small schooner arrived from Pictou, NS on the 27th and on the 28th three more schooners arrived in the harbour. Daniel Hodgson also heard the frogs for the first time that spring on this day. The last two days of the month were fine and mild with winds from the south.
May started with a fine day but it turned cold on the 2nd and on this day the steamer arrived from Pictou, NS for the first time since the fall of 1835. On May 4th there was rain, hail and snow and very disagreeable weather. On the 5th there was enough snow to cover the ground and it remained on the ground until the next day when it got milder. It was sunny and warm on the 7th, but it only lasted one day as it was rainy, very cold, “backward”, and no gardening on the 8th, Louis Jenkins mentioned that the English mail arrived on May 1st with no news of any importance. Warm fine weather retuned on May 9th, and it remained until the 12th. May flowers were plentiful on the 12th and a great deal of gardening and ploughing was conducted on this day. There was a violent snowstorm for most of the day on May 13th with a northeast wind making it very cold. More English mail arrived on this day. The next day, May 14th, it was still cold and there was still ice ¼ inch thick at 1pm. It was fine again on the 15th, but cold and windy weather prevailed. May 17th it was warm with fine weather, and this continued into the next day. The wind turned northeast on May 19th, and it was cold. The ship Victoria arrived in the harbour and another ship the McGillvary from London, England. There was as stretch of dull and cold days from the 20th to the 24th with occasional light rain and drizzle. There was a lot of rain on the 25th and it continued cold until the 27th when there was a sharp frost and ice ¼ inch thick in the morning, but it turned fine in the middle of this day. From the 27th to the 30th, there was dull weather, with some rain and the wind continually from the northeast. There was some frost during the night of the 30th but it finally turned warm on the 31st with wind from the south and Daniel Hodgson commented, “thus ends a dismal and stormy month of May”.
The weather was very fine and warm from June 1st to the 4th and Louis Jenkins mentioned he went to the farm on the 1st. It cooled down on June 5th and Daniel Hodgson reported it was very cool at night with a frost. The period between the 6th and 9th of June was fine and warm with Louis Jenkins reporting that the trees were in leaf on 8th. It remained fine and clear but cooler until the 17th. On the 18th Louis Jenkins records that it was fine and warm but there had been no rain for 8 or 10 days or more. Daniel Hodgson mentioned that there was some rain on the 18th. It remained fine on the 19th however on the 20th there was another frost. The 21st to 24th had fine weather with the 23rd being quite warm. On the 25th, Louis Jenkins reported it was fine day but cool at night with rain much needed. He recorded that the weather to the end of June was dry without a drop of rain but the crops still looked to be doing quite well with the wheat looking especially good but the hay crop would be poor. Daniel Hodgson noted on the 26th that prayers were offered for rain at church and on the 30th he mentioned there were fires in the forest and it was warm and dry.
July started out with a nice day and a rain shower for about 15 minutes. However, it resumed dry on 2nd to 4th and then another shower on the 5th. Louis Jenkins reported there were prayers for rain in church on the 3rd in church. It was dry on the 6th and on the 7th there was a lengthy shower for 3 to 4 hours which was much needed. The temperatures during the first week of July were very warm with temperatures up to 28 degrees C by times. July 8th was very hot with the temperature peaking at 29.4 Celsius in the shade in the morning and by 3pm the temperature reached 32.2 °C and then there was a downpour of much needed rain. The warm weather continued on the 10th of July with another fine shower of rain on the 11th. The dry weather resumes on the 12th and this type of weather continued until the 19th with the occasional shower of rain. The temperature cooled on the 15th with the winds shifting to the northeast. On July 19th Louis Jenkins reported that forest fires had resumed burning in the woods in some areas, the corn crop looked good but was short, and the hay crop would be about 1/3rd of the average yield. The first day of heavy rain occurred on the 20th and on the 22nd there was heavy rain again all night and Louis Jenkins stated it was now good growing weather. David Ross of Marshfield reported a rare July frost on July 21st which resulted in the loss of some of his potato crop with the temperature reaching a low of -2°C These was a bit more rain on the 23rd then the dry weather retuned until the 30th when there was a bit of rain. Louis Jenkins wrote on the 31st that the weather was fine and the grain crops were looking well with the hay improved but still thin. On July 28th Daniel Hodgson noted that rain was still much needed which suggested the soil was very dry.
The first week of August was mainly warm and still dry. Louis Jenkins noted on the 1st that rain was still much needed. There was a 2-hour rain on August 4th and then it was warm and dry until the 8th. Daniel Hodgson commented on the 7th and 8th that it was very warm. On the evening of the 8th of August there was some rain and then a mixture of clear and cloudy weather until the 11th when Louis Jenkins finished putting in his hay crop without it getting wet. There was heavy rain on August 12th and 13th, which was much needed. It cleared off for a day then it rained with lightning on the 15th. The weather was unsettled for the next few days with some rain showers and fog on the 18th. From the 19th to the 21st the weather was mainly fine with some cloudy periods. Daniel Hodgson reports on the 21st that the new St. Paul’s church was consecrated with the Bishop in attendance. The original church was blown down while under construction, during a severe windstorm on August 17, 1833. Peter MacNutt of Darnley mentioned that the 21st was also a good day for haying and he got 12 loads in his barn. The remainder of August had mostly fine and delightful weather with a slight rain shower in Charlottetown on the 29th. Louis Jenkins dined with Mr. Holroyd in Winsloe at his farm on the 25th. He also travelled to St. Eleanor’s and Three Rivers during this time where he was likely doing church work. On the 30th Rev. Jenkins went to Haslam’s (Springfield) to fetch his wife and he noticed the crops were looking very good. There was rain in the evening of the 30th which continued into the morning of the 31st when it was very windy. Peter MacNutt was reaping barley and oats on his fields on the back shore in Darnley.
The first few days of September had fine and delightful weather and the barley harvest was generally underway. Louis Jenkins noted on the 3rd that partridges were very numerous. September 4th to the 6th had fine, clear weather. On the morning of the 7th there was a sharp frost with ice 1/8 of an inch thick. This was the earliest frost reported in the Charlottetown area for at least 25 years according to Rev. Jenkins. Potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, dahlias were all killed by this frost. It was stated in another reference that this frost was a cause of great distress across the colony. The weather turned warm during the day of the 7th and this continued into the 8th when it was “very warm”. The wind shifted to the northwest on the 9th and there were occasional rainy periods until the evening of the 11th when there was heavy rain which continued into the morning of the 12th. There was another frost on the 10th . When Mr. Jenkins retuned to Charlottetown from St. Eleanors on the 12th he found that his grain suffered a lot of damage from the frost. The weather was then warm until the 14th and David Ross of Marshfield was able to harvest his Pinto and dwarf beans on this date. Cold weather was experienced on the 15th to the 17th when Daniel Hodgson noted that he had to light a fire in his office. On the 19th there was rain at night, and it continued into the next day. There was another frost on the 21st reported by Daniel Hodgson and again on the 23rd. The weather remained cool until the 24th. There was rain for the entire day on September 25th as reported by Daniel Hodgson and David Ross. There were then 3 cold days from the 26th to the 28th and Mr. Hodgson had to light his fire again on the 27th. It was windy on the 28th but otherwise the weather fine until the end of the month.
October started off with a windy day and dust clouds suggesting the soil was quite dry. The weather was fine on the 2nd to the 4th with rain on the evening of the 4th. A gale on the evening of the 4th continued into the next morning. It was very rainy on the 5th and Daniel Hodgson reports a violent gale of wind from the southwest on the 7th which abated later that day. There was some snow and hail reported by Mr. Hodgson on the 10th with the ground still white on the morning of the 11th. The next 3 days had fine weather but it rained the full day on October 15th with wind from the southwest. The weather was clear the following 2 days and on the 17th David Ross was able to thatch wheat stacks and put them in his barn with some hay. October 18th turned very cold with winds from the west northwest with some snow squalls. David Ross of Marshfield noted that he was threshing wheat and harvesting potatoes on the 19th. The potato harvest at Marshfield continued on the 20th when David Ross’s neighbour came and ploughed by 8 drills of potatoes from when he harvested 10 bushels . In the afternoon a southerly gale of wind arose which brought rain lasting into the evening. On the 21st there was frost with some light snow and the next day there was a very sharp frost with winds from the west northwest. The next few days were cold and on the 26th there was heavy snowfall. David Ross was able to haul 56 cartloads of seaweed from the shore for his farm on this day. The remainder of the month continued mainly cold with snow again on the 27th and the 29th. Louis Jenkins notes that there was snow, sleet and rain on this day and Daniel Hodgson reported rain. October 30th was fine but cold and the 31st was fine but there was a heavy frost that evening. The roads around Charlottetown were bad for travelling and ice formed ½ inch thick. Louis Jenkins reports that the springs were dry on his farm and there was now no water in his well. David Ross was able to plough up another 5 drills of potatoes on Halloween which yielded another 9.5 bushels of potatoes.
The month of November started with 2 fine days with two of the diarists reporting “Indian Summer” on the 2nd suggesting a warm day. On the 3rd it started to rain late in the day and this continued with heavy rain on the 4th. Another warm day was experienced on the 5th and then on the 6th there was sleet which resulted in poor travelling conditions. From November 7th to the 14th the weather remained fine and mild with winds mainly from the south. The 15th was a wet day with winds from the east southeast. The next 2 days were mild with occasional rain showers and David Ross was placing banking (probably seaweed) around his house. There was some snow on the 18th and cold, frosty weather continued until 21st when the temperature moderated. There was heavy rain on the 22nd with mild temperatures which continued until the 24th. David Ross hauled more seaweed on the 24th for his farm and later that evening a fox took one of his turkeys. Cold weather was experienced on the 25th to the 29th with occasional snowfalls. The last day of the month had some showers of hail and snow.
The first day of December had very nice weather with moderate temperatures and a frost that evening. On the 2nd it was very raw and cold with the 3rd being bright and mild . December 4th was bitter cold with the temperature dropping to a low of -20°C with some lolly appearing near the shoreline. The temperature moderated on the 5th and on the 6th it was like a “summer day” according to Louis Jenkins. The warm temperatures continued until the 8th with Louis Jenkins calling it “Indian summer” with no snow on the ground. On December 9th the weather was good at Marshfield with a high temperature of -10C and there was now some ice in the Hillsborough River but not frozen over. The warm temperatures continued until the 14th with a high temperature of 9.4°C on the 11th. On December 15th, Daniel Hodgson reported some snow with a westerly wind and slightly freezing temperatures. There was a hard frost on the 16th and thin ice had started to form on the Hillsborough River in the Charlottetown Harbour. It got colder on the 18th with some snow and by the 20th the ice was nearly across the entire width of the Harbour in Charlottetown with a low temperature of -7.8°C reported by David Ross. There was some rain on the 21st with high winds at night and this resulted in the river being open again. The temperature at Marshfield on the 22nd was -1.1°C. It turned really cold on the 23rd with the temperature dropping to a low of -23.3°C which froze the Hillsborough River across, and some people were seen crossing on the ice. The temperature remained cold for Christmas eve and it turned milder on Christmas Day with calm conditions and nice weather. On December 26th it rained heavily with southerly winds but then it turned colder with up 10cm of snow on the 27th with winds from the northwest. The remainder of December had snow falling every day with Louis Jenkins reporting a snowstorm on the 30th.
Synopsis
Based on the mentions of dry weather, rain much needed, forest fires, poor crops and dry springs and wells it is evident that 1836 had below normal precipitation with the months of May, June and July having rainfall amounts well below average. There was not a low of snowfall in the first months of the year but snow fell in April and May which brought up the total accumulation. There not a lot of snow at the end of the year with the last few days of December having steady snowfalls.
The temperatures ranged from a low of -25.6 to 32.2°C during the year with May having temperatures much below average but this was compensated by warmer temperatures in July, August and into September. Frost was an issue for crops with many occurrences in June, a sharp frost on July 21st in some areas and early frost on September 7th. The combination of all these frost events created a dire situation for crops with yields decreased and a diminished hay crop. Potatoes seem to have survived in some areas such as Marshfield.
Ice left the Charlottetown Harbour on April 18th which would be about average for this era and it was a bit delayed forming in December with solid ice not available until the 23rd.
There were a few reports of high winds and gales but there were no mentions of wind damage to buildings or trees suggesting no major tropical or winter windstorms occurred during the year.
Sources: Daniel Hodgson, almanac notes, 1836, PEI PARO Acc.2353/ 336; David Ross, Diary, 1836, PEI PARO; Hon. Peter MacNutt, Diary, 1836, PEI PARO; Louis Jenkins almanac, 1836, UPEI Robertson Library; PEI Archives: Accession #2702, Series 20, No. 316; St. Paul’s Anglican Church , history
No official records of climate and weather of Prince Edward Island have been found for the year 1840. Some information about the year can be gleaned from diaries and almanacs kept by 3 individuals: Daniel Hodgson who was born at Charlottetown in 1803 and lived in Charlottetown, he was a coroner and held other colonial government positions; Hon. Peter MacNutt was born in 1796 at Darnley and lived and farmed in Darnley, Prince County. He was also an elected representative for his district in the Colonial Legislature; David Ross, was born at Scotland about 1811, and relocated to PEI in 1836 He lived and farmed at Marshfield, PEI. Newspaper records also provide some additional information about the climate and conditions during the year. From these historical records it is possible to reconstruct the climate for the year.
The year started off on January 1, 1840 with all three diarists mentioning that ice had formed on the Hillsborough River and in Darnley Bay on this date. People began to cross the Hillsborough on foot on January 4th , but the Colonial Herald Newspaper reported on January 11th that the ice was not deemed safe for horses. There was also very little snow, so road travel was difficult as it was too rough for a horse and wagon and sleigh travel was not possible. It turned cold on January 16th and remained cold until the 25th with the exception of one or two mild days. Travel by sleigh improved on January 24th. Mail delivery was not good during January with some bad weather and poor ice causing travelling problems.
The month of February was a very fine month and not a lot of snow with the exception of a snowstorm on February 12th. There were some good days for travelling and David Ross recorded that he travelled on the ice to Charlottetown for the first time of the winter on February 8th , but travelling by sleigh was generally poor and the mail carriers crossing Northumberland Strait had many delays and mail delivery interruptions. Travel on roads and streets was generally poor to soft weather and lack of snow. The temperature dropped to -20°C on the 27th.
March started out with fine clear and cool day, but it started snowing in the evening and it snow heavily the next day. The weather fluctuated between mild and cold during the month. On the 6th of March winter made an appearance and lasted for a couple of days and enabled firewood to be delivered to Charlottetown as the supplies were getting low. People were still crossing the Hillsborough River ice on March 14th . There was a snowstorm on March 21st, but it disappeared the next day. On March 25th a snowfall of 12 cm happened, and this lasted for a couple of days as there was some drifting. David Ross records on the 30th that the snow had disappeared from the fields and on the 31st the river ice was starting to break up but some ice travel was still happening. There was a heavy rain on March 31st, and this made travelling very difficult due to the muddy roads.
On April 2nd and 3rd there was a province wide snowstorm which left 12.5 cm of snow in Charlottetown. At Marshfield horses could no longer cross on the Hillsborough River ice on the first of April and by the 3rd there was a ship in the channel at Charlottetown Harbour and by the 4th the River was open and clear of ice. The weather turned cold on the 6th and remained cool to the 9th when ice started reforming. Daniel Hodgson noted on April 15th that it was quite spring like, and this was much earlier than it had been for many years. Ploughs began tilling the soil on the 13th. On the day before Easter, on April 18th the temperature reached a high of 18.9°C and Daniel Hodgson was able to plant his hotbed in Charlottetown. On April 22nd Peter MacNutt was fencing and ploughing at Darnley and the next day he loaded his ship, “Elizabeth” with corn and wheat to be shipped to Miramichi, NB. It remained very mild and springlike until April 27th when there was a “tremendous” snowstorm with lanes and roads all filled up in the Darnley area. The snow was gone by the next day and on the 29th Daniel Hodgson planted onions, carrots, and parsnips. The last day of April saw a heavy gale and rainstorm with some thunder.
May started out a bit cool with hail and snow on the 3rd at Charlottetown. By the 5th it turned warm with the temperature at Charlottetown reaching, “summer heat”. A taste of winter returned on May 6th with snow sleet and rain with a northeast wind at Charlottetown. The weather remained cool and raw until May 12th when Peter MacNutt was able to plant wheat and oats at the Cape in Darnley. The warm weather returned on May 18th, and it remained for the most part to the end of the month. Peter MacNutt finished planting potatoes on May 22nd. There was very little rain in May and the Herald Newspaper of June 6, 1840 reported forest fires on the Three Rivers area of Kings County. On May 26th was very warm with the temperature reaching a high of 26.7°C and the Hummingbirds returned from the south.
June started out as a pleasant month but still had a chill in the air and there was some rain. On June 9th, a flock of 14 sheep were struck and killed by lightning on the farm of L.C. Worthy at the Head of Hillsborough. On June 9th David Ross was harrowing his potatoes but mentioned that there was still a great need of rain. On the 13th the temperature reached 21.1°C at Charlottetown and on the 17th Daniel Hodson commented that it was a “delightful spring season”. There was heavy rain during the evening of June 22nd and it turned cooler. The temperature increased toward the end of the month and on the 30th, it was “extremely warm” in Charlottetown.
The first week of July was dry with very little rain according to the Herald Newspaper on July 18th. The weather was fine for several days until a rain on July 14th. It was very warm on July 15th in Charlottetown with the temperature reaching 29.6°C. It remained warm and on the 17th it was very hot and according to Daniel Hodgson it was the hottest he had ever experienced on the Island and older settlers hadn’t seen such heat in over 20 years. On the 17th, David Ross began to mound his potatoes at Marshfield. It cooled down on the 20th ,with occasional rain showers on the 21st. The warm weather returned for the rest of the month with winds from the south.
August started out very hot with the temperature reaching 30.6°C on the 1st in Charlottetown. The first week of August was warm and hot with some rain every day except on Thursday the 6th. Farmers were busy harvesting their hay early in the month, but the rain kept them from getting it dry and into storage. The temperature remained warm until the 24th and the harvesting of barley began on the 19th at David Ross’s farm in Marshfield. The warm weather returned for the last week of August and David Ross was able to finish the harvest of wheat and oats on 30th of the month.
September started out warm with the temperature reaching a high of 25°C in Charlottetown on the first day of the month. With the exception of occasional rain the harvest conditions were very good and by the 5th many farmers had already housed their grain crops and the yields were very good. The second week of September was quite cool with frequent heavy rains but most crops had been harvested across the entire province. The rainy weather continued until the 14th but David Ross was able to cut his marsh hay on this date. The weather was fine and delightful until the 19th when there was a hard frost at Marshfield, but David Ross was able to dig his potatoes later in the day. On, the 19th it became warm as David Ross reported it was a sort of “Indian Summer”. On the 20th it set in cold with some rainy days and there was another frost at Marshfield on the 24th. The weather turned milder on the 25th and there were a couple of rainy days prior to the end of the month.
There was a hard frost on October 1st in Charlottetown, but Daniel Hodgson reported it was a fine day for potato digging. On the 3rd there was some rain at night and on the 6th it was rather warm. There was cooler weather on the 6th and the 7th and David Ross began digging his potatoes on the 7th. The weather remained mild with occasional rain until the 13th when it turned colder in the afternoon. There as a hard frost at Charlottetown on the 18th but it was extremely mild on the 19th. David Ross finished digging his potatoes on 20th and it rained hard once he finished digging. The mild conditions continued until the end of the month but there was heavy rain on the 25th and again of the 29th and 31st. David Ross began his fall ploughing on the last week of the month.
The first half of November had fine, mild weather with winds mainly from the east and southerly quadrants. There were butterflies reported in the Herald Newspaper of November 13th and a reference to mild weather also in New Brunswick. On the 19th Daniel Hodgson and David Ross both reported snow with up to 7.5 cm in Charlottetown. The snow covered the ground on the 20th and it was looking like winter. It turned very cold during that night. Peter MacNutt reported a heavy east to northeast storm on this date. The winds were northwest on the 21st and some horse and sleighs were in operation. A tremendous snowstorm with up to 30 cm of snow occurred on Nov. 24th and according to David Ross it was belly deep. The snow continued on and off until the 26th. David Ross travelled to Charlottetown in his sleigh on the 28th . A thaw began on the evening of the 29th and this continued until the 30th with the ground soft underfoot.
The first 12 days of December were quite cold with David Ross reporting a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit inside his house on the first day of the month and by December 3rd there was ice across the Hillsborough at Marshfield. In Charlottetown there was lolly along the shores of the Hillsborough River on the 6th but not frozen across to Southport. Daniel Hodgson reported there was much ice in the river on the 12th with a temperature of -6.7° C. Mild weather set in on the 13th and it remained mild until the 17th and David Ross reported the ice was all gone on the Hillsborough River in Marshfield, but people were crossing on the ice at Frenchfort. Cold temperatures returned on the 18th and snow for sleighing was much needed. On December 21 and 22nd people were crossing the river at Marshfield and Charlottetown on the ice. A snowstorm occurred on the 23rd and 24th and this was much needed for travelling. Christmas day was very cold with the temperature dipping to -25°C with some light snow in the morning. It remained cold until the 30th when it got a bit milder. Horses began to cross the Hillsborough from Charlottetown to Southport on this day. It was still soft and mild on the 31st with some snow falling.
Synopsis
It is evident from the information contained in these historical documents that 1840 had temperatures throughout the year that were likely above normal for this time period with July, August, October and November being the months most above normal. The harvest of grain crops was earlier than normal due to the early planting and warm weather in July and August. Ice travel which was very important in this era, didn’t begin until January 4th in Charlottetown and ended in the middle of March and this would be a shorter season for ice travel in this era.
It is apparent that amount of precipitation was likely somewhat below average for the year with the months of May, when there were forest fires, and July when the rainfall was not plentiful being much below average. There was enough precipitation to produce a good harvest. There were frequent references to a need of snow for good sleighing suggesting that snowfall totals were below average for the year.
There no severe tropical storms that were reported during the year and the worst snowstorm occurred on November 24th when 30 cm of snow was reported. A severe thunder and lightning storm on June 9th killed 14 sheep in a pasture field at the Head of Hillsborough.
Sources: Daniel Hodgson, almanac notes, 1840, PEI PARO Acc. 336; David Ross, Diary, 1840, PEI PARO; Hon. Peter MacNutt, Diary, 1840, PEI PARO; Colonial Herald Newspaper, March 24, 1840; Newspaper record, May 30, 1840; Royal Gazette, July 14, 1840; Colonial Herald Newspaper, July 18, 1840; Colonial Herald Newspaper, August 8, 1840; Colonial Herald Newspaper, Sept. 12, 1840; Colonial Herald Newspaper, Nov. 14, 1840; Colonial Herald Newspaper, Dec. 19, 1840
A summary of PEI climate data from the year 2022 is available from the attached pdf file. This report contains a full year of data from the UPEI and other stations installed in 2021. The year 2022 will be remembered as the year that Post Tropical Storm Fiona did substantial damage across the province. It also had above normal temperatures for most months and the entire year. Precipitation was above normal in most areas with lower amounts in west Prince County.
The month of July 1849 was dry and hot according to an account in the Islander newspaper. There were a few seasonable showers of rain but the temperatures ranged from 70 to 100 Fahrenheit (21.1°C to 37.8°C) and were frequently as high as 90F (32.2°C) to 93F (33.9°C). There was an unconfirmed report that the average monthly temperature for July, 1849 was 21.8°C which if accurate would be the warmest July ever recorded in the province.
All crops except for hay were still looking good particularly wheat with no rust appearing up to the end of the month. The potato crop was looking good and there were new potatoes in the market daily and some were of good size and if there was no disease before harvest the prospects of a good crop were looking excellent. The oat crop was looking good and some barley which was cut at the end of July also looked good.
The dry weather was also being experienced in northern Nova Scotia in the Pictou County area. The forest was very dry due to the drought conditions and concerns were being raised about the possibility of fires as some fires had already occurred in Caribou, Toney River and along the Gulf shore.
Sources: The Islander, August 3, 1849; The Islander, July 27, 1849.
A heat wave warning was issued for July 21, 2022 across the province of Prince Edward Island by Environment Canada. A heat wave is issued for PEI when temperatures of 28 Celsius may be reached with accompanying high humidity. This can cause health issues for some segments of the population. The temperature actually exceeded 30 Celsius at several locations on PEI.
Fireflies were observed for the first time this year at Winsloe South indicating that fireflies must like hot weather.
Our Island Climate 