‘Year without a summer’ chilled North Carolina 209 years ago. What happened?
A far-off volcanic explosion led to wacky weather in North Carolina 209 years ago.
As the state experienced a “year without a summer,” it was blanketed with an “unusually early frost” on Aug. 22, 1816. The frost ushered in periods of drought, rain and cold, adding to that year’s hardship, according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
More than two centuries after that chilly stretch, this summer has been a scorcher for parts of North Carolina. Here’s what we know on the anniversary of the rare frost event.
What caused the ‘year without a summer’?
In April 1815, a deadly volcanic eruption in Southeast Asia sent smoke and ash throughout the Northern Hemisphere, according to history.com and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One year later, the effects from the massive explosion could be felt roughly 10,000 miles away in North Carolina.
The state recorded “unusually cold weather during the spring and summer months” of 1816. Though residents experienced some bouts of heat, that ended as a “heavy frost” hit on Aug. 22.
“The unusually early frost was attributed to the Mount Tambora volcano eruption in Indonesia in April of the previous year,” state historians wrote in a blog post. “The eruption was the most powerful of the 19th century and is thought to have caused a number of strange weather phenomena around the world.”
In North Carolina, weather-related impacts hit some places hard. Though coastal farms received enough rain to save their corn, central and western parts of the state faced serious challenges, according to NCpedia, an online encyclopedia.
“Many crops failed and others had dangerously low yields that threatened the livelihoods, and indeed, the lives of many North Carolinians,” historians wrote.
Similar weather conditions were felt beyond North Carolina. That’s because experts believe Mount Tambora spewed particles into the atmosphere, leading to lower temperatures across the globe.
The cool summer stands in contrast to this year’s heat. National Weather Service records show “July 2025 was the hottest on record at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, with an average temperature for the month of 84 degrees,” The News & Observer reported.
The weather service began having a presence in the Raleigh area in 1887, decades after the “year without a summer.” The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources doesn’t have more specific details about the 1816 weather conditions, a spokesperson told McClatchy News via email.
