In February, Ebenezer was not as careful at tracking the temperature. The big events included going to court to a hearing about the insufficient roads (today’s Main Street area was known as “the Plain”), lots of wood chopping by the back door, and a sleigh accident. By the end of the month, a foot of heavy snow had fallen and the roads were blocked by snow.
Matt Osborn stepped in to help record the February’s weather while Alan Berolzheimer was away. He records a wild mix of temperatures, the first sap to be boiled and the roads posted.
Ebenezer Brown, February 1873
3. Ther. 5 below this morn. At 9 pm 25 above.
I & Charles attended on the Plain the arbitration Court. Charles Sargent vs Town about insufficiency of public roads.
4. Warm & Cloudy…Charles helped D.A. Brigham get wood from G.M.S. woodlot with our oxen & sled.
5. Very pleasant moderate weather…Met Payson Boardman & his wife with his 2 horse team. Came into the road too quick and hit my sleigh and broke the crossbar & whippletree and otherwise injured the sleigh and he Payson Boardman has readily promised to pay for repairing the sleigh.
7. Ther 10 above 0 in early morn. Cloudy pm & thawing. Charles choping at the door.
12. Ther 8 above 0 at 9pm…I went to Knapps Mill…C. choping at the door
18. I went to Hanover, credited at Cloughs store 7lb butter & 2 doz eggs. Got some sugar & tea for it…got a pail full of dirty molasses that run on the floor.
21. Snows all day. Ther 16 above and snowing at 9pm. 1 ft heavy snow has fallen.
22. Cold clear day…the wind is drifting the snow & blocking up the roads.
23. Sunday cold sunny day. Charles has gone with G.M.S. to open the roads toward Beaver Meadow.
Matt Osborn, February 2023
2. High temp: 32F; Low is 9.5F. Cloudy, Snow Depth 6.75”
3. Sunny. Polar Vortex arrives, 0.5″ snow, high winds wind chill warning (-30F to -45F) high temp. at midnight
4. Sunny & frigid. Low temp -22.5F with a high of 7.5F. Wind died down. Still below 0F at Noon. Clouds arrive late afternoon.
6. High temp: 41F; Low is 17.8F Cloudy most of the day, sun arriving mid-afternoon.
7. High temp: 37.9F. Low temp is 4.8F. Sunny in a.m., clouds p.m. Sleet in the evening.
14. Elissa Close and Chris Brady boiled sap. Bare ground in the open areas. Old snowshoe paths turned to icy luge runs.
15. High temp: 54F. Cloudy, very warm with strong wind.
17. Rain total 0.16″ thunderstorm, red wing blackbirds spotted for first time. In 2022, red wing blackbirds spotted for first time on March 12th.
20. High temp 49.8F. Cloudy and mild, a little sun & some rain sprinkles, first hellebores buds come up. The roads are posted
23. 28.6F High temp. 21.6F is the low. Snow 6.75” overnight then cloudy, .75” sleet then snow in the evening.
25. High temp: 16.1; Low temp is -9.8. Cloudy & cold with 1.25″ of snow.