Weather rambling — August 1893

How hot was it?

Too hot to sit through a show.

“The hot weather kept away many from the opera house last night,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on Aug. 11, 1893. “As a consequence, ‘A Pair of Kids’ was presented to a small audience. The play will be reproduced tonight.”

Rain was appreciated.

“The rain Sunday was very welcome,” the Hague correspondent reported in The Morning Star on Aug. 12. “Farmers are reporting light crops of early potatoes. … Haying is about over. The crop is about the same as last year.”

The crop in another Warren County town was more plentiful.

“Farmers have their haying almost finished,” the Chestertown correspondent reported. “A much larger crop in the aggregate will be cut in the vicinity than has been cut for several seasons heretofore.”

Farmers had finished their haying, The Morning Star reported on Aug. 21.

“The crop is good. There was a slight frost Monday morning in the vicinity.”

Crops at West Mountain, however, were damaged by a severe storm on Aug. 19, The Morning Star reported on Aug. 24.

“Much damage was done, especially to the buck wheat crop, which suffered severely, many pieces being almost ruined, and others only slightly affected,” the West Mountain correspondent reported. “It deprived the corn fields of their beauty, by stripping up the leaves, but not injuring the value of the crop to any extend.”

The storm was frightening.

“A very peculiar noise, like a mighty wind in the distance, apparently overhead, accompanied the storm, unlike anything ever heard before.”

August weather expected to spill over into September.

“Dog days, by some authorities, ended yesterday, but September will be the probable ending,” the Fort Edward correspondent to The Morning Star reported on Aug. 26. “In the shade yesterday afternoon, the thermometer registered 90 degrees. One year ago, 82 was the mark.”

The trend continued.

“The thermometer registered 82 degrees in the shade yesterday. One year ago, 74 degrees was the record,” the Fort Edward correspondent reported on Aug. 28.

But not so everywhere.

“A slight frost was reported to have been seen Monday morning by some of the early risers,” the Luzerne correspondent reported in The Morning Star on Aug. 28.

There were heavy thunderstorms at Brant Lake, Indian Lake and Glens Falls, The Morning Star reported on Aug. 29.

“A section of Bay Road near Odell’s mill was swept away Sunday morning by the heavy rain, leaving a dangerous hole in the highway. Fortunately, no teams were around by that point until daylight yesterday.”

The Hudson River was at its highest level since spring, The Morning Star reported on Aug. 31.

“All day Tuesday and Tuesday night the stream continued to rise rapidly, until yesterday morning there was a big volume of water flowing almost entirely over the flat rock before the bridge.”

In other 19th century August weather news collected from historic newspapers of the region:

1876

“Some of our farmers report a light frost Monday morning,” the West Hebron correspondent reported in The Granville Sentinel on Aug. 25, 1875.

1881

“Splendid weather the past few days,” The Commercial Advertiser of Sandy Hill, now Hudson Falls, reported on Aug. 17, 1881.

“Farmers in this vicinity have commenced threshing their oats, the yield of which is considerably above the average of last year,” the Dunham’s Bay correspondent reported.

“Haying and harvesting have been hastened, and nearly all the farmers in this vicinity have finished,” the Smith’s Basin correspondent reported.

1891

“Farmers have nearly finished their haying. Most of them report that while the crop is not quite as large as last year. The oat crop is exceptionally good, and the recent rains will help the potatoes, which would appear to be doing well,” The Commercial Advertiser reported on Aug. 7, 1891. “The continued cold weather is causing some anxiety about the corn crop. Altogether, farmers appear to be pleased with the outlook for a bounteous harvest.”

“Haying and harvesting is nearly done in this section,” the Raceville correspondent reported in The Granville Sentinel on Augu 14. “The hay proved to be a better crop than was predicted, and the oat crop is larger than it has been in several years.”

On Aug. 11, the temperature “in the shade” at Granville exceeded 98 degrees.

“Crops of all kinds in Washington County are looking finely,” The Granville Sentinel reported on Aug. 14. “Rye has been harvested and is more than an average crop. The greater portion of the hay crop has been secured in good order. The yield is less than usual, but the quality better.”

“Harvesting is about over here,” the North Granville correspondent reported in The Granville Sentinel on Aug. 21. “Hay and oats have been gotten in good condition and all crops are looking finely. From all appearances this will be the best year for farmers that we have had in some time.”

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