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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.

▲One of the longest snowfalls recorded to date was in January of 1644, which lasted eight consecutive days.

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The winter of 1657-58 was a long one. Snow lasted from December up until March!

▲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!

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1697-98 was another tough winter where ice and snow lay up to eight inches deep in parts of the country.

▲1731 was a very dry year in comparison to 1684's 'Great Frost', but cold nonetheless with temperatures hitting as low as -18C.

▲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.

▲The winter of 1794-95 reached -21C in London and parts of southern England.

▲The severe winter of 1819-20 saw temperatures as low as -23C.

▲In 1821, a snow blizzard hit London in late May!

▲The tough winter of 1829-30 felt colder than -12C.

▲Blizzards hit 1836, bringing transport to a standstill. The river Thames also flooded, causing a landslide that killed eight people.

▲In January of 1838 temperatures hit a low of -16C in London areas, -20C in Blackheath, and a staggering -26C in Kent.

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The snowy blizzard of 1927 was one of the heaviest recorded from the 20th century.

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In 1933 some areas of Britain suffered 48 long hours of snowfall and blizzards.

▲For the first time since 1880, the river Thames froze again in 1940.

▲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.

▲In 1952-53 the horrendous cold, snowfall, storm surges, and smog of the 1952-53 winter contributed to around 12,000 losing their lives.

▲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.

▲In the winters of 1968-70, parts of Eastern England and Scotland had a staggering 16 inches of snow after New Year.

▲In January of 1978 Scotland was hit by a staggering 28 inches of snow!

▲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.

▲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.

▲A winter of abundantly heavy and wet snowfalls that made the cold damper than ever.

▲This winter was extremely cold and snowy for southern parts of England such as Bristol (pictured).

▲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.

▲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.

▲This winter experienced snow but is mostly remembered for its drastic winds and temperatures as low as -15C.

▲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.

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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.

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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).