Winter scenes can be magical – think chocolate-box cottages laced in a light dusting of snow, icicles shimmering in the sun and a powdery blanket of white across the lawn. However, when a snowstorm hits it can spell catastrophe – from burying houses and leaving people stranded to causing roofs to cave in.

Click or scroll on to discover jaw-dropping pictures that show just how powerful those pretty snowflakes can be...

The iconic letters of the Hollywood sign received their first dusting of snow for more than 30 years in February 2023, as a rare winter storm swept across California, leaving millions under blizzard, flood and wind warnings.

With unprecedented precipitation, impassable roads and mass power outages, the usually sun-kissed state experienced record-breaking low temperatures and ‘thunder snow’, the rare and dangerous combination of lighting and blizzard conditions.

Unequipped to handle snowy conditions, Californians faced what the National Weather Service described as “major impacts to travel and infrastructure”, with downed trees and power lines, substantial snowfall, and dangerous flooding. 

The storm was one of the strongest ever to hit southwest California, with some areas receiving more than 30 inches (76cm) of snow. In addition to Los Angeles and San Francisco, other regions of the state which experienced the rare snowfall included the Mojave Desert, the Santa Clarita Valley and the Inland Empire.  

Positioned above the Arctic Circle, a 40-hour train journey away from Moscow, Vorkuta in Russia suffers from a permanent winter. Here, temperatures can drop as low as -23.7°C (-10.7°F) and the area sees 180 days of snowfall every year.

Vorkuta's unique location and harsh climate have combined to create hauntingly beautiful scenery.

The town was a labour camp for Gulag prisoners between 1930 and 1960. Thousands of prisoners were sent to Vorkuta and forced to mine for coal before it grew into a thriving mining town.

Due to the challenging climate, the USSR promised those who moved to the town housing and good salaries. Yet when the Soviet Union fell in the early 90s, mass unemployment led the town to become abandoned. Today, it's an icy graveyard that has been fully taken over by Mother Nature.

In early February 2021, the village of Braemar in the Scottish Highlands faced one of the coldest nights on record, when temperatures dropped to -23°C – that's -9.4°F. At the time, it was reported that the UK hadn’t been that cold since 1995 and since 1955 for a February night.

This freak wintry weather, including blizzards and wind speeds of around 40 mph (64.37 kph), caused the village of Braemar to become submerged in snow for weeks. 

According to the Met Office, the unusual weather was the result of two predominant weather patterns known as Sudden Stratospheric Warming. The first was bitter temperatures that swept in from Russia and the latter was air coming from the Canary Islands.

In London, parts of the Thames also froze over. From knee-high snow on the ground to deadly icicles hanging from roofs, this incredible weather event was a sight to behold.

The UK wasn't the only place to be affected by bad weather in February 2021. Heavy snowfall hit Israel, Syria and Lebanon, during a freak winter storm.

Lebanon usually has a very pleasant climate, with hot and dry summers and cool and rainy winters. January tends to be the coldest month there, with temperatures falling only as low as 5°C (41°F). Yet in 2021, the country was overtaken by the white stuff.

The extreme weather caused some areas of Lebanon, and Syria, to be submerged in 6 inches (15cm) of snow, causing road closures and disrupting traffic.

Towns such as Bcharre in Mount Lebanon, to the north of Beirut, were so overcome with snow that exam season had to be postponed for local students.

Fully submerged beneath the snow, this mountain cabin is barely visible.

Pictured during the winter season, it sits in the subpolar area of Lapland in Sweden in the tiny village of Joesjö, a stone's throw from the Norwegian border.

With the warm glow of the cabin spilling out onto the snow and the spectacular green skies of the northern lights in the distance, it truly is a breathtaking scene.

However, we can't imagine it'd be too easy to dig yourself out of that snowbank in the morning! 

The fishing port of Sisimut, Greenland's second-largest city, spends a large portion of the winter months covered in snow.

The white stuff is often so deep it reaches up to the windows of the Arctic settlement's colourful array of cottages.

The residents of this remote town don't let the snowfall get in their way, though – here, winter is a time for exploration rather than hibernation.

In fact, the town celebrates the snow with winter sports, from dog-sledging to cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. 

In March 2018, this snow cornice in the town of Finnsnes in Norway was in danger of collapsing on top of the house below it.

With reports of avalanches across the whole of Norway, this homeowner's neighbour sent them this picture of their holiday home, prompting them to cancel their planned Easter holiday trip.

This image shows the true scale of the situation, with the home appearing tiny against the enormous bank of snow hanging precariously above it. 

The coldest month in Finnsnes is February, which sees 15 days of snow on average and temperatures ranging from -6°C (21°F) to a balmy -1°C (30°F).

In 2012, over 15 feet (4.6m) of snow fell in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, with the Balkan countries worst affected. Albania declared a natural state of emergency in some of the worst-affected areas. Here, a man can be seen in the village of Kelmend, Albania clearing a path to his house.

During the snowy period, many roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow, including that of a 300-year-old church. 

Meanwhile, in the village of Cârligu Mic, which sits north-east of Bucharest in Romania, these firemen were captured trying to help clear the snow covering a cabin in the woods. Over 35,000 people were isolated in the east of the country without food or water and fifty communities were left without electricity. 

The cold snap was blamed for hundreds of deaths and thousands of cases of frostbite and hypothermia, as well as leaving hundreds of ships trapped at sea.

It may not look like it, but 2016 was a warm winter for the residents of Altay, China, which is often affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

Icicles hang down from a row of houses, formed after the snow started to melt in the daytime, only to freeze again overnight. 

This Altay resident was photographed clearing snow from the roof of his house in January 2016.

In 2003, a blizzard swept in from Siberia, plunging temperatures to -43°C (-45°F). The storm left 30,000 herdsmen and more than 61,000 livestock stranded in Altay after a week of heavy snowfall. These days, the region uses its extreme weather to its advantage, enticing winter sports enthusiasts to enjoy its six-month-long ski season.

In 2006, southern Germany suffered heavy snowfall that caused extensive damage to houses across the area. Over 2,000 helpers and soldiers were mobilised in the region to help clear the snow and prevent further damage to homes and businesses. 

These firemen were spotted using shovels and a cherry picker to clear snow from the roof of a home in Zwiesel in the Bavarian Forest.

After many properties across the region lost the fight against Mother Nature and suffered collapsed roofs and walls, a man can be seen trying to clear the snow from the roof of his own property to stop it from meeting the same fate.

The snowfall caused the roof of an ice rink in Bad Reichenhall to collapse, killing 15 and injuring 34.

In December 2002, Boston was inundated with snow, leaving almost 40,000 people without electricity. 

These homeowners in Massachusetts had a narrow miss when this enormous tree fell outside their house. 

Later that winter, in February 2003, this South Boston resident had to dig her car out of a deep snow drift after the city was hit with a blizzard.

The Presidents’ Day Weekend storm dumped a record 27.5 inches (70cm) of snow in the area, which was the greatest amount of snow ever to fall on Boston in 24 hours.

This charming home took the full force of a blizzard that hit the east coasts of Canada and the United States in February 2015. 

The storm caused the snow to drift halfway up the ground-floor window, causing the residents to dig their way out.

The blizzard closed schools and businesses, cut Prince Edward Island off from the mainland and buried these colourful homes under the heavy snowfall. 

Between 26 January and 17 February 2015, an impressive 102 inches (259cm) of snow fell on Charlottetown Airport.

Upstate New York was buried in more than seven feet (2.1m) of snow back in November 2014. Two tonnes of snow piled up on buildings and homes during the deluge, causing many to collapse. 

Tami Normile and Richard Brooks were photographed removing five feet (1.5m) of snow from a rooftop in the Lakeview neighbourhood of Buffalo.

The record-breaking snowstorm closed a one-hundred-mile section of The New York State Thruway. In the worst-hit areas, 5,000 people, 200 snow ploughs and thousands of trucks were used to clear buildings, drives and roads. 

Here, Michael Palmer and Carin Schultz work to clear her car of snow on Union Street in the suburb of Hamburg, Buffalo.

Up in the mountains of Minakami, this traditional guesthouse – or ryokan – was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Built from wood, its kept constantly warm with portable gas heaters, open fires and in modern times, electric blankets tucked under low tables.

The area is famous for its hot springs –  called onsen – which are well worth braving the snow for.

This almost completely-buried wooden house was spotted from the Hakkoda ropeway on Mount Tamoyachi near Aomori, Japan. 

The mountain is one of the 16 peaks of the Hakkoda mountain range, which is a popular spot with skiers and snowboarders thanks to its heavy snow and long winter season that stretches until early May.

Europe gets its fair share of snow too, and the snow-covered fields in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, are a prime example.

This little dwelling was covered in deep snow in February 2012, when the big freeze sadly claimed many lives over the winter period.

While most houses in Garmisch-Partenkirchen get covered in snow each winter, this local man impressed onlookers by building a house from the stuff during the Winter Olympics in February 1936. 

We wonder if it survived the weather!

You don’t expect to encounter snow in India but areas at high altitudes experience extreme cold too.

Here, icicles hang from this residence in Kashmir as children wander the snow-covered roads on the outskirts of Srinagar after the season's first snowfall.

Lying at the western edge of the Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir is home to some popular skiing destinations.

These impressive icicles were pictured in February 2023, hanging from the roofs of a hotel in Gulmarg, a small ski resort 40 miles (64km) from Srinagar.

This dilapidated old château in the hamlet of La Petite Pierre in north-eastern France withstood the heavy snowfall of 2010.

The picturesque village is remote and open to the elements, perched on the side of a mountain.

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg was captured emerging like a ship from the mist and snow in the Vosges mountains in March 2018.

January is the coldest month in the Alsace region with an average low of -1°C (30°F), but spring snow is always a threat due to the region's 4,672-foot (1,424m) elevation.

In 2005, Japan experienced a record snowfall that submerged buildings and homes, as seen here in the town of Tsunan in Niigata Prefecture.

In this area, there was approximately 142 inches (360cm) of accumulated snow and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were brought in to help clear the drifts.

Ordinary people, too, worked to unearth their frozen homes from the devastating snowdrifts. This woman wore woven snow shoes to prevent her sinking in the snow as she shovelled it from outside her home.

Tragically, some 70 people were killed by the extreme winter weather across Japan that year.

A huge storm hit Hull, Massachusetts one weekend in late January 2005.

The area was covered with ice that caused major damage to properties as it melted and refroze, turning local homes into dramatic ice sculptures.

Nearby in Scituate, a row of coastal homes was covered with a thick layer of snow and ice thanks to the same major winter storm passing through.

If it wasn't so destructive we'd call it beautiful.

Jämtland in central Sweden is sparsely populated with these traditional wooden houses that pepper the beautiful remote countryside. Sweden experiences snowfall between December and April, as well as darkness for much of those months too.

When winter rolls around, locals hunker down in their wooden cabins with log burners and slow-cooked stews.

With long dark winters to get through, it's no surprise that some Swedes opt to live in brightly coloured homes. 

These red cottages bring warmth and cheer to this snowy scene – and they should be easier to spot in a blizzard than your average home.

As Switzerland prepared to host the World Economic Forum in 2012, severe spells of snow meant the army had to be brought in to help clear areas of the town of Davos.

It was the first time in nearly a decade that the area had endured such heavy snowfall, which posed problems for the temporary structures built for the event. Can you spot the tiny figure clearing snow from a precarious perch?

Great for the ski resorts, the metres of snow that fell were far less welcome in the centre of Davos, where roofs had to be cleared, leaving mountains of swept snow piled on the pavements.

Luckily the army and locals were well-equipped to deal with the deluge in the Alpine town. Snow-blowing machines were out in force and additional workers were drafted in to manually shovel snow off roofs to protect those below from potential avalanches.

In March 2018, the UK was hit by a storm dubbed the Beast from the East. The cold snap was caused by Anticyclone Hartmut moving cold air from Siberia across Europe and interacting with Storm Emma to produce heavy snowfall over the UK. 

Pictured here, resident Jonas Ershov in the Cumbrian village of Nenthead is pictured trying to clear the mountain of snow outside his house after being stuck inside for six days. 

Mags Turnbull from Bowerdale in Cumbria was snowed inside her home, Browfoot Cottage, for three days before was able to dig herself out.

Temperatures fell to -12°C (10°F) in some areas of Britain and 17 people lost their lives.

The same storm that hit the UK also dumped heavy snow on Paris.

These houseboats looked beautiful, dusted with snow as they bobbed on the River Seine with the Alexandre III bridge and the Eiffel Tower in the background – but their inhabitants must have been extremely chilly!

The unusual weather brought the city to a standstill and many commuters were forced to abandon their cars and sleep in emergency shelters.

If the owner of this houseboat was hardy enough to stay put during the storm, they'd have been rewarded with this rare sight of Notre Dame Cathedral covered in snow.

The residents of the mountain resort village of Melchsee-Frutt in Switzerland are no strangers to heavy snowfall. Renowned for its cross-country skiing and dramatic ski slopes, the area is frequently bombarded with thick layers of snow that often submerge houses.

This old farmhouse has been practically swallowed up – the footprints left across the roof show just how much snow has built up around the property.

It's not uncommon for temperatures in Melchsee-Frutt to plummet to an average of -5° (23°F) in the winter months.

These frosty conditions mean that when snow falls and settles in huge banks, it doesn't disappear for quite some time.

January 2021 saw Storm Filomena cover Madrid with a 20-inch (50cm) blanket of heavy snow. The blizzard triggered Spain's highest weather alert – which was used for the first time – and the military was mobilised to rescue trapped drivers from vehicles across the city.

These locals were photographed as they fought their way down a narrow residential street. The cars and trees are barely recognisable, while the warm tones of the walls seem incongruous next to the bright white snow. 

A small drift built up against this beautiful entrance to a building downtown. 

Filomena was reportedly the most intense storm to hit Spain in 50 years, killing five people and costing the country €1.8 billion ($1.9bn/£1.5bn) in property damage and interrupted business.

This dramatic photo shows rime covering Syme Hut, a shelter house on Mount Taranaki in Egmont National Park, New Zealand. 

Rime is a kind of frost that forms when water vapour freezes on a cold surface, creating an icy skin. 

New Zealand's most climbed mountain is a place of extremes. Mount Taranaki – a dormant volcano – and the wider park enjoy over 2,000 hours of sunshine, as well as high rainfall and snow that can turn to ice in minutes, making even the simplest expedition a potentially dangerous undertaking.

In January 2025, Taranaki was officially recognised as a legal person, giving it the same legal status as a citizen.

High up in the Galician Massif, only accessible by treacherous roads, lies the tiny village of Piornedo. Thanks to its isolated position, Piornedo largely escapes tourist visits – but it can't escape the worst of the mountain weather.

The village's famous pallozas – a type of traditional thatched house that dates back to pre-Roman times – must have been chilly to live in during the worst weather.

The circular homes were inhabited until the 1970s and stand among horréos – ancient granaries made from thatch and wood on stone pillars. 

At more than 3,280 feet (1,000m) above sea level, the buildings are regularly coated in thick blankets of snow in the winter.

In July 2016, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania experienced a heavy snowfall that blanketed houses, ski chalets and cars overnight. 

The storm caused the Bureau of Meteorology to issue a severe weather warning for the Australian Capital Territory ACT and southern New South Wales.

This family resorted to using a wheelie bin to clear a path in the snow for their car to escape the harsh weather.

Strong winds and heavy snow left 7,000 residents in Tasmania without power across the state.

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