A Mysterious Darkness: The Day the Sun Went Out in New England

The Colonial Williamsburg Journal ^ | Summer 2005 | Andrew G. Gardner

[hershey]

A few years ago New England didn't really have much of a summer. Temps were decidedly lower, not much sun, and a volcanic eruption was probably the culprit.

[topsail]

I would say that a volcano eruption is the probable cause.

The story is almost the same as the event that I, and tens of thousands of others, experienced in June of 1991 when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines. Even the time of day is similar.

The first eruption, a small one, occurred on Wednesday around noon. It was beautiful, a light colored, mushroom shaped cloud contrasting with a bright blue sky. Everyone came outside to see it. It soon drifted away and was considered to be a good show !

The next eruption, somewhat larger, occurred on Friday afternoon. After work I had gone to the barrio for a little recreation (San Miguel beer & billiards) and noticed that it was getting dark earlier than usual. I went to the door and saw that the sky was overcast and rain had begun to fall. There was a typhoon to the east of us so this weather was somewhat normal for the situation. I did decide that I should get myself home before the weather became worse. When I went outside to my car I found that the rain had become something else, what was falling from the sky, then, was mud. The rain from the typhoon was mixing with the volcanic ash in the air and coming to earth as mud with about the same consistency as wet cement. So heavy that the windshield wipers could not remove it, and I had to drive home with my head and left arm and shoulder out the window in order to see. When I arrived home my wife said that, covered with grey mud, I looked like a statue.

Next morning, Saturday, at work we had scheduled lifting some heavy equipment with a crane but decided to postpone it because of the light covering of slippery wet ash. Around 9am as I headed up the hills toward home I saw a black cloud coming over the small mountains toward our location. I made it home just as the cloud arrived. Once inside the house, I could feel earth quaking and the mud ,again, began to fall from the sky. By noon time everywhere was as dark as midnite, the sky was filled with thunder and balls of fire as the ash cloud created it's own weather system. The frequent earth quakes, accompanied by rumblings in the earth and the thunder and balls of fire in the sky and the rain of mud continued throughout Saturday night and into early Sunday morning.

Sometime before scheduled sunrise the eruption ceased and Sunday morning was relatively bright with no dark clouds, and no rain, and only an occasional tremor. The thing I noticed right away was the silence. No sounds of civilization. No sounds of cars, or machines of any kind, no one talking, no radio or TV, No birds singing. No electricity or water. Only the occasional sound of a breaking tree limb caused by the weight of the heavy mud that had coated everything.

Others who were there, at that time, had to endure much more traumatic circumstances than I and they could tell a much more interesting recap of this event.

Could a volcanic eruption have caused the events in the posted story? Definitely, YES!

[King Prout]

while I tend to agree that volcanic eruption is the likeliest explanation, I think the author is too glibly dismissive of meteorologic possibilities.

the bizarre weather I witnessed in New Orleans on 03 March 1990 comes to mind.

[Red Boots]

Great Story. And I agree that the event in New England was most likely a volcanic cloud. But one thing I didn't notice recorded by eye-witnesses was any ash fall. I think there would be some.

[tortoise]

Reminds me of 1980, living in eastern Washington. We lived in the sticks, and didn't know that the volcano had erupted. You had to experience to believe it; a cloudly of inky blackness slowly crept from the west blotting out every speck of light. Due to the atmospheric effects, the RF reception dropped out and so we lost radio and TV where we were. People were standing in the streets of my small town wondering just what the hell was going on -- it was like watching the end of the world.

[RobRoy]

I'm thinking one of those big ships from the movie "Independence Day." A scout ship.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Good read, volcano seems apropos.

[U S Army EOD]

Three questions:

1. When was the super earth quake at the head of the Mississippi? It happend around that time didn't it?

2. Didn't those people drink a lot back then.

3. When did the Kennedy's show up in that area?

[quidnunc]

U S Army EOD wrote: 1. When was the super earth quake at the head of the Mississippi? It happend around that time didn't it?

there were a series of earthquakes along the New Madras (Missouri) fault during 1811-12.

The big one was on Feb. 7, 1812.

[ruoflaw]

I am glad that people kept journals back then. Thanks for posting such an interesting mystery.

[ruoflaw]

could you explain what kind of bizarre weather you experienced? Please?

[King Prout]

an arctic cold front rolled in at around four in the afternoon.
It had been almost 90degrees, clear blue sky, light breeze
then, this horizon-spanning BLACK wedge swept down from the northwest.
It was dark enough by 430pm that the streetlights came on.
the temperature dropped about 40 dergees in one hour.
it snowed that night.

[ruoflaw]

That really is bizarre weather. I have heard of extreme weather changes that occasionally happen out west but I would not expect to ever see it snow in New Orleans. I think it is great that you remembered the date.

[MHGinTN]

The darkness lasted too long ... unless an extremely odd orbital path allowed it to sweep past inward then outward of the Sun, changing direction within the earth's orbit and tracking somewhat wiht the earth's path around the Sun.

[Mr. K]

My next guess is one of those huge UFO's like on Independance day

(but thats just me)

[King Prout]

I recall the date due to the following:
I know the year from the dorm I was in.
I know it was the first Sunday in March because I found the following Monday's snow so remarkable.
I recall the shape and hue of the wedge because it floored me while I was watching it come in.
I know the vector because I know the layout of that quad.
and I recall the temperature drop largely because I found it rather amusing: there were quite a few near-nude coeds out on the quad sunbathing. several had fallen asleep in the heat. their reactions when they woke up in the gathering cold were, ah, memorable. ;)

it snowed twice in the seven years I lived in New Orleans.

[MHGinTN]

I can visualize an elliptical that would allow a large rock to sweep away from the Sun and then in again in such a way that it could cast a shadow doing what was described, approximately (need to do the mechanics to be sure). I can't entertain the 'huge spaceship' scenario. But that's just me. To each his/her own.

[SunkenCiv]

The forest fire explanation has always appeared to be the best one, and until someone comes up with a way for a volcanic cloud to remain just wide enough to not be reported outside a fairly narrow piece of the Eastern Seaboard, after having travelled more than 2000 miles (the nearest volcano is probably more distant than this), there is no resort to a volcanic eruption as an explanation for this.

[King Prout]

lack of stench, depth of shadow, and speed of clearance argues against the forest fire hypothesis.

remember that, at that time, the continent was not particularly rife with record-making people.

[blam]

"The forest fire explanation has always appeared to be the best one."

That's all I can figure too. (Forest fires smell though.)