Abstract
This study reconstructs weather conditions of the northeastern Great Basin and adjacent Rocky Mountains in the western United States during the summer of 1849. Weather information were extracted from 84 diaries written by westward travelers and Mormon settlers. Periods of storminess were analyzed temporally and spatially for June 1 to September 31 on a daily basis from temperature and precipitation descriptions. Monthly frequencies of daily ice and frost, and precipitation descriptions were summed for July and August, and compared with modern meteorological data. Results of this study were compared with military metorological data and proxy evidence. Results indicate that the weather was colder and drier than today, suggesting that the Great American Desert Myth faded due to abnormally cold conditions experienced by westward travelers.
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Mock, C.J. Historical evidence of a cold, dry summer during 1849 in the northeastern Great Basin and adjacent Rocky Mountains. Climatic Change 18, 37–66 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00142504
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00142504