O verbBE in the senses of exist, to happen or of elapsed time é impersonal, i.e, no It has subject. Thus, the verb BE no must be flexed as to thenumber (plural). This means that the bending of the verb BEat the past tense perfect plural form ("there were") no exists in our language.
See the examples:
There was several threats against the current director.
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In January there was more vehicle thefts in Natal than in the entire past semester.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
There was more dropouts this year than last year.
Tip:
In the same way as the verbBE, O verbO TO DO in the sense of elapsed time or of atmospheric phenomena it's also impersonal, i.e, no has subject and no must be flexed as to the number, staying in the singular.
See the examples:
Does eight years since I have not ridden a bicycle.
Now does nine degrees in São Joaquim.
By Ma. Luciana Kuchenbecker Araújo
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ARAúJO, Luciana Kuchenbecker. "Was there or was there?";
Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/houve-ou-houveram.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.