I was just doing some research on James Dunlop and came across this.
Snow in Sydney - 1836
Snow in Sydney is extremely rare. Since European settlement, there have been a few cases recorded of blowing snowflakes, but only 4 occurrences of snow on the ground in any real quantity. All these cases occurred during the icy winter of 1836.
T.A Browne (better known as Rolf Boldrewood, author of "Robbery Under Arms") kept weather observations during this period and noted that "the years 1836, 1837 and 1838 were years of drought, and in one of these years (1836) a remarkable thing happened. There was a fall of snow; we made snowballs at Enmore and enjoyed the usual schoolboy amusements therewith".
The Sydney Herald reported on the same incident headed "A Stranger"
"For the first time in the memory of the oldest inhabitants, snow fell in Sydney on the morning of Tuesday last. (27 June 1836)
About 7 O’clock in the morning, a drifting fall covered the streets nearly one inch in depth. Some of the "old hands" expressed a hope that their old acquaintances Messrs. Frost and Snow do not intend emigrating to NSW".
Reference: "Before King’s Cross" - Freda McDowell, Thomas Nelson, 1967
I think you might have mis-read the table, Glen. My reading indicates that there were no days during those years you mention on which sunspots were not observed. In 1833 and 1834 however, there was a significant number of days when no sunspots were sighted. In 1843 there were even more days of this nature.
Might be in for some cold dry weather this coming solar maximum, but I wont pull out my skies here just yet
Is there a long term correlation between our weather cycle and the solar cycle ?
