Winters throughout the 18th century were in general much colder than those of the later 19th and twentieth centuries. Falling temperatures and increased precipitation resulted in severe and erratic weather patterns from the 14th to the mid-19th century. The winter of 1786-87 was considered to be particularly severe. In January, when the Regulators advanced on the Arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts, accumulated snow had drifted several feet deep in places.
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