Don’t Complain About the Rain Because New England Once Had a Year Without a Summer

If you ever go back in time in search of July 2021 in New England, you're probably unlikely to find it since it's buried underwater somewhere with the Titanic and the Lost City of Atlantis, as CBS Boston reported that it was a record-breaking month for the most consecutive days of measurable rainfall in July in the history of New England.

July 2021 Weather

According to CBS Boston, it rained 19 days out of 31 last month, which is second for most rainy days in a month all-time only to April 2019, where it rained 21 out of 30 days. And yet, that's still not the worst summer in history, because according to the New England Historical Society, there was once a year without a summer.

The Year Without a Summer

The summer of 1816 was quite possibly the most "New England weather" summer ever, considering the exact opposite of an actual summer happened. The New England Historical Society has it on record that back on June 6, 1816, an insane six inches of snow fell. SNOW. IN JUNE. Regardless of "New England" -- SNOW. IN JUNE. AND SIX INCHES!

More Snow in June

A couple of days later saw flurries on June 8, before an insane record low temperature of 30.5 degrees (yes, Fahrenheit, not some wonky temperature reading) was recorded on June 11. Reports say that birds legitimately froze and dropped dead from the cold.

In typical New England fashion, the weather bounced back and forth after that between warm, hot, and a little chilly, before become downright frigid again in the beginning of July, with a three-day cold spell dipping temperatures into the 30's in Northern New England just a couple of days after the 4th of July (which was also a chilly one in itself.)

Snow in August

Not to be outdone, August stepped into the icy cold weather ring, dropping its title of "The Dog Days of Summer/August" in exchange for "A Hard Frost Summer/August." Multiple times throughout the month, the weather took a harsh turn toward winter. August 13 and 14, a cold, hard frost hit the area, followed by a violent storm on August 20 that caused another summer snow in parts of Northern New England and a huge temperature drop into the 30s. One last severe frost ended the month on August 28.

Crop Killing Weather

Needless to say, the insane temperature drops and weather patterns throughout the summer of 1816 killed the usual summer crops across Northern New England, along with the aforementioned birds. So, as annoying as 19 days of rain in July was, and today's first or second (it all blends together at this point) rain of August is, at least the New England Historical Society won't have a reason to write "The Second Year Without a Summer in New England" this year.