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© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
1644 - One of the longest snowfalls recorded to date was in January of 1644, which lasted eight consecutive days.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
1657-58
- The winter of 1657-58 was a long one. Snow lasted from December up until March!
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
1684 - The 'Great Frost' of 1684 was one of the coldest and toughest winters in British history. London's river Thames was frozen for two months!
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
1697-98
- 1697-98 was another tough winter where ice and snow lay up to eight inches deep in parts of the country.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
1731 - 1731 was a very dry year in comparison to 1684's 'Great Frost', but cold nonetheless with temperatures hitting as low as -18C.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
1739-40 - This winter has been recorded as one of the toughest in British history. The severe frost lasted from Christmas Day all the way to mid February.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
1794-95 - The winter of 1794-95 reached -21C in London and parts of southern England.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
1819-20 - The severe winter of 1819-20 saw temperatures as low as -23C.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
1821 - In 1821, a snow blizzard hit London in late May!
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
1829-30 - The tough winter of 1829-30 felt colder than -12C.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
1836 - Blizzards hit 1836, bringing transport to a standstill. The river Thames also flooded, causing a landslide that killed eight people.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
1837-38 - In January of 1838 temperatures hit a low of -16C in London areas, -20C in Blackheath, and a staggering -26C in Kent.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
1927
- The snowy blizzard of 1927 was one of the heaviest recorded from the 20th century.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
1933
- In 1933 some areas of Britain suffered 48 long hours of snowfall and blizzards.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
1940 - For the first time since 1880, the river Thames froze again in 1940.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
1947 - Snow and drifts continued all the way up until March in 1947. In a time of war and lack of resources, the bad weather made living conditions even harder.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
1952-53 - In 1952-53 the horrendous cold, snowfall, storm surges, and smog of the 1952-53 winter contributed to around 12,000 losing their lives.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
1963 - The winter of 1963 is also know as the 'Great Freeze' and is recorded as the worst winter in Britain, with the coldest temperatures in over 200 years.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
1968-70 - In the winters of 1968-70, parts of Eastern England and Scotland had a staggering 16 inches of snow after New Year.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
1977-78 - In January of 1978 Scotland was hit by a staggering 28 inches of snow!
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
1981-82 - Another winter that is remembered for its frosty drifts and endless snowfall. Northern England suffered up to six foot drifts and seven inches of snow.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
1978-79 - Memorable as the winter of discontent for political reasons, it was also the coldest winter since the famous 'big freeze' of 1962-63. A blizzard hit the south on New Year's Eve causing widespread disruption.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
1976-77 - A winter of abundantly heavy and wet snowfalls that made the cold damper than ever.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
1984-85 - This winter was extremely cold and snowy for southern parts of England such as Bristol (pictured).
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
1994-95 - The winter of 1994-95 experienced a whopping 15 inches of snowfall. Schools across the country were forced to close for days, or even a week due to the heavy blizzards.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
1995-96 - The following winter had a similarly drastic climate with low temperatures and numerous snow blizzards. Snow kept falling all the way up until late March in northern parts of England.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
2002-03 - This winter experienced snow but is mostly remembered for its drastic winds and temperatures as low as -15C.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
2010-11 - December of 2010 was recorded as the coldest in the past 100 years. The UK was also hit with a lot of snow, and unbelievably cold temperatures.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
2017-18
- 2017-18's polar vortex brought harsh winds, extremely low temperatures, and snowfall across the UK, leading people to believe this winter could have been the coldest since the 'Great Freeze' in 1963.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
2024-2025
- Severe winds and heavy rainfall across the UK disrupted travel and led to the cancellation of numerous New Year’s events, including firework displays. The harsh conditions led to the cancellation of celebrations welcoming 2025 in locations such as Blackpool, Newcastle’s quayside, the Isle of Wight, and Ripon, North Yorkshire. These join the previously canceled Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh. In Lowestoft, Suffolk, two firework displays planned for New Year’s Day were rescheduled, with organizers citing safety as the primary concern. The Met Office predicted gusts of up to 60 mph (approximately 97 km/h) across England and Wales on New Year’s Day, with coastal and hilltop areas facing winds as strong as 75 mph (around 121 km/h).
See also: Travel back in time with these vintage winter photos
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
1644 - One of the longest snowfalls recorded to date was in January of 1644, which lasted eight consecutive days.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
1657-58
- The winter of 1657-58 was a long one. Snow lasted from December up until March!
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
1684 - The 'Great Frost' of 1684 was one of the coldest and toughest winters in British history. London's river Thames was frozen for two months!
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
1697-98
- 1697-98 was another tough winter where ice and snow lay up to eight inches deep in parts of the country.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
1731 - 1731 was a very dry year in comparison to 1684's 'Great Frost', but cold nonetheless with temperatures hitting as low as -18C.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
1739-40 - This winter has been recorded as one of the toughest in British history. The severe frost lasted from Christmas Day all the way to mid February.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
1794-95 - The winter of 1794-95 reached -21C in London and parts of southern England.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
1819-20 - The severe winter of 1819-20 saw temperatures as low as -23C.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
1821 - In 1821, a snow blizzard hit London in late May!
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
1829-30 - The tough winter of 1829-30 felt colder than -12C.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
1836 - Blizzards hit 1836, bringing transport to a standstill. The river Thames also flooded, causing a landslide that killed eight people.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
1837-38 - In January of 1838 temperatures hit a low of -16C in London areas, -20C in Blackheath, and a staggering -26C in Kent.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
1927
- The snowy blizzard of 1927 was one of the heaviest recorded from the 20th century.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
1933
- In 1933 some areas of Britain suffered 48 long hours of snowfall and blizzards.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
1940 - For the first time since 1880, the river Thames froze again in 1940.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
1947 - Snow and drifts continued all the way up until March in 1947. In a time of war and lack of resources, the bad weather made living conditions even harder.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
1952-53 - In 1952-53 the horrendous cold, snowfall, storm surges, and smog of the 1952-53 winter contributed to around 12,000 losing their lives.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
1963 - The winter of 1963 is also know as the 'Great Freeze' and is recorded as the worst winter in Britain, with the coldest temperatures in over 200 years.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
1968-70 - In the winters of 1968-70, parts of Eastern England and Scotland had a staggering 16 inches of snow after New Year.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
1977-78 - In January of 1978 Scotland was hit by a staggering 28 inches of snow!
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
1981-82 - Another winter that is remembered for its frosty drifts and endless snowfall. Northern England suffered up to six foot drifts and seven inches of snow.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
1978-79 - Memorable as the winter of discontent for political reasons, it was also the coldest winter since the famous 'big freeze' of 1962-63. A blizzard hit the south on New Year's Eve causing widespread disruption.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
1976-77 - A winter of abundantly heavy and wet snowfalls that made the cold damper than ever.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
1984-85 - This winter was extremely cold and snowy for southern parts of England such as Bristol (pictured).
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
1994-95 - The winter of 1994-95 experienced a whopping 15 inches of snowfall. Schools across the country were forced to close for days, or even a week due to the heavy blizzards.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
1995-96 - The following winter had a similarly drastic climate with low temperatures and numerous snow blizzards. Snow kept falling all the way up until late March in northern parts of England.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
2002-03 - This winter experienced snow but is mostly remembered for its drastic winds and temperatures as low as -15C.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
2010-11 - December of 2010 was recorded as the coldest in the past 100 years. The UK was also hit with a lot of snow, and unbelievably cold temperatures.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
2017-18
- 2017-18's polar vortex brought harsh winds, extremely low temperatures, and snowfall across the UK, leading people to believe this winter could have been the coldest since the 'Great Freeze' in 1963.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
2024-2025
- Severe winds and heavy rainfall across the UK disrupted travel and led to the cancellation of numerous New Year’s events, including firework displays. The harsh conditions led to the cancellation of celebrations welcoming 2025 in locations such as Blackpool, Newcastle’s quayside, the Isle of Wight, and Ripon, North Yorkshire. These join the previously canceled Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh. In Lowestoft, Suffolk, two firework displays planned for New Year’s Day were rescheduled, with organizers citing safety as the primary concern. The Met Office predicted gusts of up to 60 mph (approximately 97 km/h) across England and Wales on New Year’s Day, with coastal and hilltop areas facing winds as strong as 75 mph (around 121 km/h).
See also: Travel back in time with these vintage winter photos
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
Britain's worst winters in pictures
Historic storms and bitter cold
© Getty Images
From historic blizzards to record-breaking cold storms, Britain's winters have left a lasting mark on its people and landscape.
In this gallery, we revisit some of the coldest, snowiest, and harshest winters the UK has faced over the past 300 years.
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