The Most Incredible And Extreme Winter Storms Around The Globe

The superstorm of 1993 raged across the entire Eastern United States, from Alabama to Maine, covering more than 550,000 square miles.

More than 10 million people and businesses lost power over the storm’s three days, and $5.5 billion in damages were recorded in the aftermath.

The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950, which occurred during the weekend following Thanksgiving, raged across the Eastern United States, affecting towns in Ohio, Illinois, the Carolinas, and even Kentucky.

The storm is considered one of the most damaging events ever recorded in that area of the country.

Although Victoria is known for its mild winters, 1996 brought a huge blizzard to the capital city of British Columbia. The first big snowstorm to hit the city since 1916, the Snow Storm of the Century caused $200 million in damages.

It brought all of Victoria to a standstill, but neighbors banded together to share food, medicine, and other supplies while they were unable to navigate the city.

The Great Blizzard of 1978 resulted from already-bad weather and high winds, creating a bomb cyclone, a name for a storm that gets very bad very quickly.

The storm left homes without power or heat and blocked many roads, forcing the Red Cross to step in to supply food to those in need via helicopter.

Also known as the Great Storm of 1913, this natural disaster filled the Great Lakes region with blizzard conditions and hurricane-force winds for four days.

It was actually the result of two storms that ran into each other, creating a massive tempest that took many lives and left the surrounding towns in ruin.

The Knickerbocker Storm came as a surprise for Washington DC residents, as just a day prior weather forecasters had predicted a nice weekend full of warmer temperatures. Instead, the residents were faced with a horrific storm.

The biggest disaster was the collapse of the theater roof, which produced the only causalities from this winter squall.

This storm hit Lhunze County, Tibet in late October 2008, trapping over 1,000 residents who were unable to move on the snow-covered roads.

It was so cold that some people froze to death, while others were killed when buildings collapsed because of the weight of the snow.

During the North American blizzard that terrorized the East Coast in January 1996, President Bill Clinton was forced to shut down the federal government.

Along with sending people home for nearly a week, he also declared DC and the nine surrounding states on the East Coast to be disaster areas.

The storm known as Snowmageddon swept across the entire United States during February 2010.

It brought flooding, landslides, and historic snowfalls all across the country.

The storm primarily affected Boston, but it also hit parts of Philadelphia and New York City.

While the conditions outside during the Massachusetts Blizzard of 2005 were scary, many locals braved the cold to ski on the new powder covering the roads of Boston.

The Beast From the East swept across most of Europe in 2018, affecting countries from the UK all the way to Poland.

The storm was the result of a disordered polar vortex in Central Europe, which sent cold, arctic air surging through the continent.

Also known as the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard, this storm came on suddenly, affecting much of North Dakota and some surrounding states.

When the weather got bad, schoolchildren and adults started making their way home. However, many of them failed to reach their destination in the blinding conditions and froze to death.

In 2019, Europe faced one of the harshest storms in nearly 30 years. The long snowstorm affected Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, causing many avalanches and trapping tourists at ski resorts.

Eventually, the army intervened to rescue trapped citizens, though 21 people did lose their lives.

What started as a normal winter storm in the northeastern United States quickly transformed into a natural disaster.

For three days, snow fell, creating snowdrifts as high as two-story buildings, snapping telephone and telegraph lines, and making roads and train tracks impassable.

Toward the end of World War II, Toronto, Ontario suffered a massive snowstorm that forced factories producing war ammunition to close.

Weather reports predicted some snow, but nothing close to what the city actually faced.

While the Gale of January 1976, also known as the Capella storm in Germany, did not bring snow to Europe, it was nonetheless disastrous.

It caused over $1.3 billion in damages across Europe, making it the most severe storm the British Isles faced up until that point.

The Chicago Blizzard of 1967 is the worst snowstorm on record to hit the area. By midday on the 26th, the storm got so bad that most people started to make their way home. However, many workers were stranded on the snowy roads.

All day Friday the 27th, the city was at a complete standstill, as no one could go anywhere because of the snow.

This blizzard in Newfoundland left 70,000 citizens without power and blocked highways, forcing many people to spend the night in their cars.

Avalanches swept away houses, causing a few fatalities.

This 1966 blizzard was the worst in North Dakota’s history. While snow in the month of March isn’t unusual for the state, the massive snowfall and high wind made for zero visibility and snowdrifts as high as 40 feet (12 m).

Even after the snow stopped falling, it took days to dig out everything it buried.