Imagine waking up to your town completely frozen over. Streets buried under towering snow, vehicles trapped in ice, and a chill that cuts through even the heaviest clothing. Blizzards have the power to transform a busy community into a silent snowbound landscape in just hours. Some storms last a day, and some linger for several, leaving residents stranded and struggling.
Each event here shows the most remarkable blizzards that left towns buried in snow and ice. From major blizzards to ice storms, these accounts reveal both the harshness of winter and the courage of the people who endured it. Let’s take a look at 20 blizzards that trapped towns in ice.
1. The North Dakota Blizzard of 1966 almost buried power lines
2. The New York City Blizzard of 1888
3. These girls are trying to enjoy themselves in the Blizzard of Washington DC, 1922
4. Trying to call home during the 1949 “Blizzard of the Decade” in Nebraska
5. Leaping into snow piles after the Winnipeg Blizzard of 1966
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6. There was nothing to do but wait during the Boston Blizzard of 1978
7. The Ohio Blizzard of 1978 lasted three days
8. Cops inspecting a school bus during the Buffalo Blizzard of 1977
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9. The ice storm of Chicago froze cars in the street, 1967
10. Skiing home from work during the Great New York Blizzard of 1947
11. Kids were out of school for weeks after the Indiana Blizzard of 1978
12. Chivalry at its finest during the NYC Blizzard of 1947
13. The whole highway came to a standstill during the Rhode Island Blizzard of 1978
14. Coming together to clear the streets in the 1899 Blizzard of New York
15. This fountain froze solid, Detroit, 1917
16. The Nebraska/Wyoming Blizzard of 1949
17. In Florida, even an inch will bring cities to a standstill, 1977
18. The Great Blizzard of 1978 slammed the entire Northeast
19. The only option was to dig yourself out during the Minnesota Blizzard of 1969
20. Cleveland, Ohio, during the Great Blizzard of 1978
Want to see more brutal natural disasters?
Check out 20 of the Most Destructive Natural Disasters From the Past, or take a look at 19 Haunting Images Showing the Destruction Caused by Natural Disasters. Finally, if you want to see the fury of tornadoes, take a look at Twisted Fury: 20 Images of Tornadoes and Their Aftermath.
