- 536-540AD: The volcanic winter of 536 (Wikipedia) was among the most severe and protracted episodes of climatic cooling in the Northern Hemisphere in the last two thousand years. Technically a double whammy, though it is often cited as 536 when temperatures were 2.4C/4.5F colder than normal, it rippled into 537-539 via additional volcanic events and still cooler temps. Additional because the initial cold is believed to be a volcanic eruption of unknown origin. Even though we note 536, temperatures were 2.7C/4.9F colder than normal in 537-539. This is frequently cited as the beginning of the Late Antique Little Ice Age (Wikipedia) (536-660).
- 536-660: The Late Antique Ice Age
- 950-1550: The “Medieval Warm Period” (MWP)(Wikipedia) led to warmer winter conditions in some regions, particularly in the North Atlantic, and lasted from approximately 950 to 1250 CE. – Italicized because it was warmer, not colder, from 950 to 1550 ad.
- 1290-1500 & 1645-1715: “The Little Ice Age.” (TLI)(Wikipedia) There were two phases of the Little Ice Age, the first beginning around 1290 and continuing until the late 1400s. There was a slightly warmer period in the 1500s, after which the climate deteriorated substantially, with the coldest period between 1645 and 1715. During this coldest phase of the Little Ice Age, there are indications that average winter temperatures in Europe and North America were as much as 2°C lower than at present. The Little Ice Age – Ea Resources. Occasionally, people note a third bump around lasting to 1850, where regional issues had climate changes similar to an ICE AGE starting at that time and lasting to 1880
- 1816: “The year without summer,” 1816, is believed to have been caused by an especially large eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.
Year Without Summer: How the 1815 Mount Tambora Eruption Cooled the World – Farmers Almanac.- It’s also a double whammy, as we note that the volcano Mayon in the Philippines erupted a year before Tambora. Approximately 3 other eruptions in 1814 & 1815. Combined, these 5 or so eruptions caused a global temperature drop of .04-.07 degrees (.7-1 F) These were global drops in temperature.
- Of note, there were ~3 other eruptions in the 2 years prior to Mayon.
- Interestingly, while the Little Ice Age recently ended, it didn’t lead to a continued 3rd Little Ice Age. However, with those in recent memory, it helped the people of the time be better prepared for a series of cold winters and summers. NOTE: Some do note a third bump in the LIA lasting to around 1850, with regional issues occurring from 1850-1880.
- NOTE: 1816 was the most intense. We also note that this year there were food riots in Western Europe. Most notably, the English Isles and France; many of which were almost habitual, as politics led to them in the years prior.
NOTE: The ICE AGES(1), large-scale global glacial Ice Ages range from 11,000 to 34 million years ago. In 4 notable periods: Last Glacial Period, Pleistocene, and Quaternary glaciation. For the current ice age, see Late Cenozoic Ice Age. For other uses, see Ice Age (2). (6 links: Wikipedia)