1697: The year of the hailstorms?

[Weather-history]

1697 was a cold year with a CET of 8.1 for the year

 

Jan 1.0

Feb  0.5

Mar 5.5

Apr 7.0

May 11.5

Jun 13.0

Jul  15.5

Aug  14.5

Sep  12.0

Oct  9.0

Nov  4.0

Dec  2.5

Ann. 8.1

 

The interesting thing about this year is the number of damaging hailstorms that were reported. It seems the standout meteorological feature of this year.

Here's a newspaper article from an Ormskirk newspaper of 1898 on a supercell with a damaging hailstorm which appeared to have developed  over the Clwydian Mountains of north Wales and tracked across parts of NW England up to Blackburn. 

29th April

 

On the 4th May, a damaging hailstorm hit the Hitchin area of Hertfordshire

Hailstones of about 7in to 14in (assuming in terms of circumference) fell.  The hail damaged trees and acres of wheat crop. The ground was covered which was said to have been at least 100,000 cartloads of hail.

Hailstones of about 12in in circumference fell in parts of Staffordshire

 

On the 6th June, hailstorm hit near Hereford. Poultry were killed, windows and crop were damaged. Some hailstones were up to 14in in circumference.  At Pontypool, a hailstorm last about half an hour with stones about 8in in circumference and irregular. Damaging crop.

 

July 24th: Great hail and thunderstorm at Upminster

 

Lancashire: NW gale with hail 6-9in in circumference. Rooks and hares killed with glass broken.

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Other weather info of this year.

Upminster

Snow

Jan: 9, 23, 24, 29

Feb: 5, 6, 7, 11

Mar: 16, 18, 20

Nov: 14, 19-23

Dec: 4, 6, 7 (8 in), 9, 10 

 

Gales

Mar: 15 (west)

Oct: 6 (south), 8-9 (southwest)

Dec: 24 (south)

 

Drought/warmth

Apr: 3  (want of rain),   15 (springs dry),  18-20  hot

May: 25-31 (hot)

Jun: hot, dry with little rain, thunder on 6, 27