The Deadliest Winters Ever Recorded In America And Beyond

The ravages of winter in pictures

From deadly snowstorms to crippling floods, winter can bring some of the most destructive weather in the Northern Hemisphere. Here we take a look back at some of the most extreme wintry months, from dramatic storms of the early 20th century to today’s freezing conditions, felt across the US and beyond.

Click through the gallery to discover winter's worst weather...

1913: Great Lakes Storm, USA

Also known as "The White Hurricane," this storm in November 1913 affected the Great Lakes Basin in the Midwestern region of the US for over three days. It was caused by out-of-season warm conditions across the lakes, which, when paired with a cold front pushing in from Canada, formed a huge storm.

1913: Great Lakes Storm, USA

The storm was so powerful it sank 12 ships and damaged 30 others, killing at least 250 people at sea. The financial toll was huge too, costing around $5 million (about $126m today) in lost vessels. It remains the deadliest storm to hit the Great Lakes ever recorded.

1922: Knickerbocker storm, Washington DC, USA

The District of Columbia is no stranger to bad weather bouts, but the Knickerbocker storm was one of the deadliest in Washington’s history. In January 1922, a severe blizzard blanketed the mid-Atlantic states of the US for several days, with a record-breaking 2ft 4ins of snow.

1922: Knickerbocker storm, Washington DC, USA

Why is it known as the Knickerbocker storm? It was named after the Knickerbocker Theater in Washington DC, whose roof collapsed under the weight of the snow, with hundreds of movie-goers inside. Wet snow and concrete fell on audience members during an intermission, killing 98 people and injuring over 100 more.

1927: Christmas snowstorm, UK

On greeting cards and in the movies, a white Christmas is nearly always magical. The reality, however, can be rather different. Britain’s whitest Christmas of the 20th century saw freezing arctic winds crippling the country on Christmas Day of 1927, with the freezing temperatures lasting until December 27.

1927: Christmas snowstorm, UK

Southern England was badly affected, especially the Cotswolds, but snow also fell in Wales and the Midlands. The snow was up to 20 feet deep in some areas, burying some single-story buildings and leading to abandoned cars in central London.

1927: Christmas snowstorm, UK

Although it may have looked pretty, the aftermath of the snow was deadly and lasted into the new year. The thawed ice caused flooding that reportedly killed at least 14 people and left hundreds homeless from the water damage. The worst effects were felt in London when the River Thames burst its banks. Pictured are residents surveying their destroyed backyards in January 1928.

1946-7: Post-war freeze, Europe

Just under 18 months after the end of the Second World War, Europe faced yet another challenge, this time from Mother Nature. Swathes of the continent were affected by this terrible winter but, in the UK, the low temperatures and persistent snow caused severe hardship nationwide.

Snow fell every day for 55 days in a row cutting off some areas of the country, with the lowest temperature of -5.8°F recorded in Woburn, Bedfordshire on February 25, 1947.

1946-7: Post-war freeze, Europe

The falling snow choked remote areas, causing roadblocks, and existing post-war food rations had to be made even smaller as vegetables and other produce froze. When it finally thawed in 1947, the snowmelt caused severe flooding across the country.

1967: Blizzard, Chicago, USA

This blizzard hit the Windy City with 1ft 11ins of snow on January 26, reportedly causing the biggest transport disruptions in the city since the 1871 Chicago fire. There were over 60 fatalities in Chicago and the surrounding region in what was the largest recorded snowfall from a storm to ever hit the city.

1967: Blizzard, Chicago, USA

Around 20,000 cars and 1,100 of the city's buses were stranded by the sudden lashing snow. Causing further misery for the Windy City's residents were huge thunderstorms and gusts of up to 53mph.

1996: Blizzard, East Coast, USA

Dubbed the "North American Blizzard," this extremely heavy snowfall struck much of the East Coast in January 1996, with drifts of 2 to 3 feet stretching from Philadelphia to New York. The storm was the result of cold air from Canada colliding with warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico.

1996: Blizzard, East Coast, USA

The blizzard was catastrophic for many of the Eastern states, including New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Vehicles crashed, roads had to be closed and a handful of people died in trapped cars from carbon monoxide poisoning. The weather event claimed 184 lives and, as with many serious snowstorms, the flooding caused by the snowmelt caused billions of dollars in damages.

2008: Snowstorm, China

In January 2008 until early February, a series of severe winter storms ravaged southern and central China, bringing much of the country to a halt. Hundreds of people were left stranded in Shanghai thanks to transport disruption as sleet and snow hit this city, which has one of the world's largest populations.

2008: Snowstorm, China

At least 24 people were reportedly killed by the harsh weather conditions. The storm caused extensive damage, cutting off water and power supplies for days on end. The total cost of damages is estimated to have been a staggering 151 billion Chinese yuan (roughly $21.3bn).

2010-2011: Heavy snowfall, UK

Until 2010, the coldest winter on record was a century before, in 1910. But all that changed with the sub-zero temperatures of 2010 to 2011. The unexpected weather was reportedly caused by high pressure across the polar region, which pushed cold air out of the Arctic towards northern Europe, resulting in freezing conditions.

2010-2011: Heavy snowfall, UK

Thousands of schools and businesses across the country were forced to close due to affected roads and transport, and the weather lasted into the new year when conditions finally began to thaw. The dramatic 2010-2011 winter followed the "Big Freeze" the season before – another period of harsh weather that caused billions in damages throughout the UK from late 2009 through to 2010.

2013-2014: Flooding, UK

Large amounts of rain and winds of up to 99mph caused major flooding throughout Britain and Ireland in December 2013. Thousands of homes were destroyed and an estimated 620,000 homes went days without power.

2013-2014: Flooding, UK

Transport was badly affected. The main train line in Dawlish, Devon, was damaged, making access to Cornwall difficult. Meanwhile, Gatwick Airport near London was left without power, while waves swept away 300 tonnes of track at Llanaber station in Wales, which remained closed for five months after the storm. The economic damages from the floods are estimated to have been a hefty $1.1bn.

2014: Snowstorm, Tokyo, Japan

For those used to regular snowfall, depths of 0.83 feet probably don't sound like much. But in Tokyo, while snow isn't unheard of, it's usually limited to short bursts on a few days a year. That's why the arrival of two terrible storms in 2014 caught the crowded city off guard, causing a reported 11 deaths, with hundreds more injured in snow-related accidents.

2014: Snowstorm, Tokyo, Japan

Reports say that hundreds of houses caved in and collapsed due to the heavy snowfall. Roads were also blocked leaving hundreds of commuters stranded on Tokyo’s streets.

2016: Snowstorm, USA

The East Coast was hit once again by another snowstorm in January 2016. Although "Storm Jonas" certainly wasn't the biggest in US history, it disrupted the lives of over 85 million people across the Northeast. Nearly 12,000 flights were cancelled due to heavy snowfall and thousands of power outages in businesses and homes swept the region.

2016: Snowstorm, USA

At least fifty people reportedly died from traffic-related accidents and the economic loss of the storm was staggering. Some estimates put the cost of Jonas at $2.5 to $3 billion due to lost working days and disruption to transport and retailers.

2019: Polar Vortex, Chicago, USA

In January 2019, arctic winds brought staggeringly low temperatures across the Midwest, transforming Chicago into an icy wasteland. Temperatures dropped to a record-breaking -23°F, the lowest temperatures in Chicago in years. The mercury dropped so low that parts of the Chicago River froze over.

2019: Polar Vortex, Chicago, USA

The weather was so bad that the Illinois governor declared a state of emergency due to the plummeting temperatures, which at times were colder than Antarctica. To keep the city's trains running, gas fires were used on the rail tracks, while those at home were requested to turn down their heating to conserve much needed energy. However, it was those who were homeless or working outdoors that were hardest hit, with at least 21 fatalities and many others treated for frostbite.

2020: Lake Erie storm, Great Lakes region, USA

A storm in the early months of 2020 caused dramatic winter spectacles in the Great Lakes region. In February, cold air moved across the warmer waters of Lake Erie, whipping up what’s known as “lake-effect snow” and battering homes with gale-force winds and waves. Upstate New York was a hard-hit area, with jaw-dropping ice formations covering buildings, such as this one in the town of Hamburg.

2020: Lake Erie storm, Great Lakes region, USA

Though these natural ice sculptures may look striking, the storm caused widespread disruption and damage to properties and infrastructure. Another affected area, Geneva-on-the-Lake in Ohio, declared a state of “erosion emergency” as the winds and waves ravaged the lakeside community and its shores.

2022: Snowstorm, Murree, Pakistan

The hill town of Murree, Pakistan – 43.5 miles from the capital Islamabad – is usually filled with gleeful skiers in winter. Between January 5 - January 7, 2022, the town received record-breaking snowfall, including the night of January 7 when 4 feet of snow fell in one night. 

Tourists flocked to Murree to enjoy the fresh blanket. However, the resulting influx of more than 100,000 cars caused the roads around Murree to become gridlocked. The snowfall also caused trees to fall onto roads, worsening the blockage.

2022: Snowstorm, Murree, Pakistan

Further blizzards spelled disaster when the snow trapped cars (and their passengers) outside the safety of the resort. It is estimated that 23 people perished in their cars, suffocating whilst snowed under, or frozen to death as temperatures dropped to 18°F. The town was evacuated, but the Pakistani government faced heavy criticism for not issuing early warnings advising people not to travel to Murree.

2022: Snowstorm, USA

In December 2022, just ahead of the Christmas weekend, the US was hit by bitingly cold temperatures and blizzard conditions, with more than 200 million people under weekend weather alerts in almost every state. Temperatures dropped to below -49°F in parts of Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming – cold enough for frostbite to develop on bare skin within just five to 10 minutes, according to experts. Pictured here is a man using a snow blower in Chicago.

2022: Snowstorm, USA

On December 23. 2022, further extreme cold and blizzard conditions hit, particularly across the Midwest. The National Weather Service said: “If traveling for the holiday, please use extreme caution." 

Pictured here is mist rising above ice floes on the Yellowstone River, where temperatures of -29°F were recorded overnight on December 22.

2023: Heavy snowfall, California, USA

Usually famed for its hot springs, Yosemite National Park in California hit the headlines for a different reason in March 2023. Unprecedented levels of snow blanketed the park, piling up to 15 feet in some areas. Some 40 inches of snow broke a 54-year-old daily record – described as a  “once in a generation event” by park officials – carpeting the spectacular Half Dome cliff, blocking doorways to buildings, and nearly burying tents.

2023: Heavy snowfall, California, USA

Other parts of California were badly affected as well. The Sierra Nevada mountains saw so much snowfall that entire towns shut down, with California’s governor declaring a state of emergency in 13 counties. Some ski resorts reported up to 10 feet of snow in just a few days. 

Pictured here is a partially buried gas pump in Yosemite National Park.

2023: Record snowfall, Alaska, USA

In 2023, Alaska’s largest city logged its snowiest November since records began in 1953 – reaching the milestone just over halfway through the month. Anchorage recorded 39.1 inches of snowfall in November, surpassing the previous record of 38.8 inches from 1994.

Much of the snow fell during a three-day snowstorm that brought more than 20 inches in total. This photo shows a woman cross-country skiing through Anchorage in November 2023.

2023: Record snowfall, Alaska, USA

A state of emergency was declared as a result of the heavy snowfall, with schools closed and disruption across public transport. But it was the homeless population who were most seriously affected – four deaths were reported among those living outdoors despite increased efforts to find additional shelters.

November 2023 ended as one of Anchorage’s snowiest months of all time – following February 1996, which saw 52.1 inches. In this photo, a pedestrian pushes a shopping trolly through the street after the record snowfall.

Now discover 2023's most shocking weather events...