With up to 50 inches of snow dumped across the northeast of the United States, this monster blizzard was aptly dubbed \u2018The Great White Hurricane\u2019. Major metropolitan areas like New York faced severe winds of up to 45miles an hour, drifts of more than 50 feet and floods caused when the snow melted. With fire departments unable to function, the financial losses from fires alone amounted to a staggering $25 million. Human casualties totaled 400, with 200 people dying in New York alone.<\/p>\n Any era would have been hard by the severity of the snowfall experienced in New England, United States in February and March of 1717. But at a time when transportation consisted of horseback or by foot these harsh series of snowstorms were particularly devastating. Boston and Philadelphia got hit the hardest, but it is uncertain how widespread the effects were as record-keeping in colonial New England was rather sketchy. With snow drifts of 25 feet high, entire houses were buried rapping people in their homes for days. Those fortunate enough exited from second story windows.<\/p>\n It may come as a surprise that Tibet\u2019s climate is generally quite arid with low snowfall rates during the winter months. For that reason, the snow storm that hit Lhzune County in October 2008 was particularly shocking. Officials reported snow depth of up to six feet as villages went through continuous snowfall for 36 hours. The severe blizzard caused many buildings to collapse, resulting in seven deaths. Rescue crews fought to clear roads and bring food and aid to those trapped by the storm. The unforgiving storm had detrimental economic effects as local farmers were forced to sell or slaughter large parts of their livestock.<\/p>\n Not only did this storm produce 60 inches of snow in some areas, it created torrential rains, winds, and tornadoes. In early March 1993, a storm surged up on the east coast of the United States unleashing snow and wind on a wider area than any other storm in history.\u00a0 The storm spread as far north as Canada to as far south as Central America. But the eye of the storm centered on Cuba and the eastern states of the US where high winds were similar to those of a hurricane which ultimately created tornadoes. The storm claimed over 300 lives.<\/p>\n On November 11, 1940, a devastating snowstorm swept through the Midwest of the United States. It encompassed Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Some areas saw 27 inches of snow accompanied by 80 mph winds and snow drifts of up to 20 feet high. The storm claimed the lives of 154 people. The blizzard struck right in the middle of the duck hunting season killing 25 hunters due to a lack of preparation. Perhaps the most tragic story was the 66 people who died in Lake Michigan when three freighters and two small boats capsized due to the weight of the snow.<\/p>\n We don’t know much about the fierce blizzard that struck Iran in February of 1972. With a death toll of approximately 4,000, it ranks as one of the deadliest snowstorms in history. According to contemporary reports, it wiped out whole communities. The city of\u00a0Ardakan and outlying villages got the hardest hit, and there were no survivors in\u00a0Kakkan or\u00a0Kumar. In the northwest, near the border with\u00a0Turkey, the situation was horrible too. The village of\u00a0Sheklab and its 100 inhabitants had to endure up to eight meters of snow.<\/p>\n This got frequently the name of the 20th<\/sup> century\u2019s worst ice storm. An estimated $1 billion worth of damage remained behind in Ontario and Quebec on January 4 to 10, 1998. Roughly 2.5 million residents went without electricity for nearly a week. This was the greatest natural disaster in Canadian history. Freezing rain exceeded 100mm \u2013 the largest amount on record.<\/p>\n Chinas worst winter in 50 years occurred in January 2008 and coincided with the Chinese New Year festival. Transportation networks erupted into sheer chaos. This happened at a time where more than 178 million traveled to celebrate the holidays with their family. Dozens of people died as desperate revelers ignored warnings not to travel. The snowstorm caused extensive damage to a vast number of low-rise buildings, the roofs of which collapsed, killing occupants inside. The estimates showed that the storm destroyed about 223,000 homes and damaged 862,000 others. According to some media sources the storms were directly responsible for at least 129 deaths.<\/p>\n If you think blizzards are bad, add cyclones to the equation. Now you can see why The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 stands as the deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the Great Lakes region. Causing over 250 deaths, the monstrous blizzard was highly unpredicted by weather forecasters. Whiteouts and winds of up to 90mph caused unforeseen disasters leading to the deaths of 250 people. The storm destroyed 19 ships and stranded 19 more. Waves of up to 35 feet swept many sailors to their doom. In hindsight, meteorologists can’t understand the storm of this strength. This usually lasts for 4-5 hours, but this one pounded these regions for 16.<\/p>\n![\"blizzard1888\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/blizzard1888.jpg\" "\\"blizzard1888\\"")
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n2. The Great Snow of 1717<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n3. Lhunze County<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n4. The Storm of the Century<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n5. Armistice Day Blizzard<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n6. Iran Blizzard<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n7. Quebec Ice Storm<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n8. Chinese Winter Storms<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n9. The Great Lakes Storm of 1913<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong><\/p>\n10. The Children\u2019s Blizzard<\/strong><\/h2>\n