200 Years of Bad Weather . .

200 Years of Bad Weather . . freezing, bitter, bleak, frigid, bad weather. When we say small talk we're usually talking about bad weather, so here is some small talk from the last 200 years All these events really happened; the reports were taken from newspapers and magazines of the time. The Great Snow of 1717 was a series of snowstorms in New England that left 4 feet of snow and drifted up to 25 feet high. In the winter of 1741 the Hudson river froze so thick that people walked across the ice from Rockland to Westchester. Historians report in November, 1783 a terrible snowstorm forced Gen. Washington and eight officers on their way to West Point to take shelter in Tappan for three days, at the home of one Johannes De Witt. On Feb. 22 1856 the Hudson River froze so solid that a seemingly endless parade of people walked across from Nyack to Tarrytown. It was also reported that at least fifty horse drawn sleighs crossed the ice. In 1857, on January 17, The Cold Storm settled over the area and lasted many days. There were blizzard conditions and temperatures dropped as low as minus 90 F. In Nyack on February 2, 1860, it was the coldest day of the year. Recorded at minus 13 F., the Hudson River froze over. On February 10, gale winds uprooted trees, fences and chimneys and tore off several roofs in Piermont. On February 4, 1871 the frozen Hudson river suddenly cracked open, and a huge ice floe made off with 170 men who were fishing through the ice in Haverstraw Bay. Some swam to shore in the freezing water and others stayed afloat for six miles before being rescued in boats. In 1903, local newspapers headlined these events: January 12: Icy pavement causes Mr. C.G.Coffin to fall and break his right ankle. January 24: Icy pavement causes Mrs. Abram Niffen to fall and dislocate her hip in Haverstraw. January 17: Icy pavement causes Mrs William Eckroyd to fall and break her arm in Haverstraw. February 8: Icy pavement causes Mary O'Connell to slip and fall on Prospect Avenue in Tomkins Cove and break her arm. February 24: An icy sidewalk causes Mrs. David Katon to fall and break her leg in Haverstraw. So we had better stop complaining about the weather; the projected temperatures this year for February run between a high of 45 F and a low of 22 F.

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