In 1972, Iran was hit by the deadliest blizzard of the history of making; it is recorded to be the biggest blizzard in the world.The blizzard storm was preceded by a week of chilly weather and freezing temperatures. The blizzard hit Iran without any prior warning and caused devastating effects throughout the country.Many blizzards have hit the earth’s landmass unexpectedly creating deep-rooted effects. These destructive storms cause widespread damage and thousands of deaths and often ill-prepared people fail to cope up with such calamities. A single storm can also cause other natural disasters like floods and avalanches claiming more lives than the storm itself. The changing pattern of the earth’s climatic condition and current global warming increases the likelihood of such unusual weather. History has witnessed many blizzards through ages that have created a deep-seated impact in their respective country of origin. Some of the biggest snow storms of the world are the Iran blizzard of 1972, Carolean Death March of 1917, Afghanistan Blizzard of 2008, Great Blizzard of 1888, the Super Bowl Blizzard of 1975, Great Appalachian Storm in 1950, Storm of the Century in 1993, and Chicago Blizzard of 1967. March 2021 North American blizzard is one of the most recent blizzards that caused $75 million worth of damage. Russia, Europe, the United States, and Canada are the countries that get the most blizzards. In the US, states in the Great Plains and the Upper Midwest get the most blizzards. The most snow ever recorded in one day in the US is 75.8 in (192.5 cm) in Silver Lake, Colorado in the year 1921. A blizzard can cost billions of dollars, as well as, the lives of people and the destruction of properties.If you are looking for more interesting content, why not take a look at articles on biggest bone in body and biggest box of Crayola crayons fun facts?Interesting Details About Biggest Blizzard In The WorldBlizzard is common in countries of cold weather where it snows frequently in the winter. However, some blizzards have been recorded whose effects did not only cause devastating for the country but its news kept the whole world baffled. One such blizzard storm was recorded in Iran in 1972. Soon the meteorologists realized that this blizzard was the biggest storm of the century. It is still regarded as the deadliest and worst blizzard of history.The United States has accounted for the highest number of blizzards in the world. The Great Blizzard of 1888 or the Great White Hurricane originated on the Atlantic coast of the US when a storm met a warm front, and the plunge in temperature caused the blizzard. The storm started on a Sunday and by Monday morning, 22 in (56 cm) snow fell in New York City while 50 in (127 cm) snow was recorded outside New York City. The Brooklyn Bridge was entirely covered with snow and the services came to a stop. The wind chill temperature froze more than 400 people to death.Unlike many blizzards that reach the US from eastern Canada, the Super Bowl Blizzard started in the Rocky Mountains and moved onto the Great Plains. The Chicago Blizzard covered the city in 23 in (58 cm) of snow causing zero visibility. The Great Appalachian storm formed on the east coast of the United States over North Carolina. It devastated most of the states on the southeast and east coast resulting in 383 deaths. The Storm of the Century occurred over two-third of the United States.However, the biggest blizzard that was ever recorded was the blizzard of 1972 in Iran. Low temperature and strong winds are the two conditions that lead to the Iran blizzard of 1972. This resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and no warning was provided to the villagers of how they wouldn’t get any heat. It left the country of Iran under snow for a week and resulted in over 4,000 deaths all over. This was the highest cost of any blizzard in history.In 1972, Iran was recovering from the effects of a year-long drought. In February, the biggest snow storm of the century hit Iran. The freezing temperatures accompanied by snowstorms and strong wind gusts started in Iran on the third of February, 1972. The massive blizzard lasted for almost a week and deposited thick layers of snow measuring several feet. The heavy snowfalls buried some of the towns of Iran completely along with the town’s citizens, southern Iran received the heaviest snowfall among all places.The average snow drifts in the rural areas of central, southern, and northern Iran were measured to be around 10 ft (3 m). The highest snow recorded in southern Iran was around 26 ft (8 m). More than 4000 people lost their lives because of this raging blizzard. The heavy snow-covered many towns and froze the people, a village called Sheklab in northeast Iran near the Turkey border was buried along with its 100 inhabitants. The towns Kakkan and Kumar had no survivors left.Shocking Details About Biggest Blizzard In The WorldPrior to the snow storm that hit the town of Iran devastatingly on 2 February, it was already facing heavy snowfall from the end of January. This series of storms started accumulating heavy snow in the western part of Iran. After this strong storm passed Iran, on 10 February the authorities and researchers started examining the blizzard conditions and found out some shocking details. Soon is was described as one of the worst blizzards in the world.A severe storm passed from Azerbaijan to Iran between 3-8 February 1972. The storm left 26 ft (8 m) of snow precisely which is equivalent to a modern-day two-storied building. The strong winds and massive snowfall, because of the blizzard, caused the breakage of trees and connection problems in power lines. Apart from rail and road failures, the weight of the accumulated snow created so much pressure that it crushed the vehicles of the citizens leaving them without any option to escape the calamity. The authorities examined that major parts of Iran including the whole of the west were totally under the snow for at least a complete week. The food and medicine supply came to a haul which took a massive toll on the aged people. The death toll was more than 4000 people. As if the storm’s severity was not enough, the flu also hit the rural areas of the country at the start of the winter. The combined effect of the two calamities resulted in claiming several lives.Weird Details About Biggest Blizzard In The WorldThe blizzard of 1972 in Iran was a shocking and miserable one. This blizzard had the highest intensity and extent in the history of all blizzards in the world. The facts that came up after examining the blizzard-struck places were both shocking and devastating.Iran is a small desert country of desert and mountains. Winters are chilly in the mountainous regions of the country, while the southern parts remain mildly cold. Ironically in this storm, snow fell mostly in southern and central Iran. Therefore, this high death count was simply because the people of south and central Iran were not expecting a blizzard of such intensity. They were also not prepared to deal with such an uncalled event as there was no prior warning. The temperatures dropped below -31.7 F (-25 C) in the southern part due to the high winds and cold air of the storm. This was quite unusual.Rescue workers reached the highly affected area with helicopters on the ninth of February. They found frozen corpses under thick layers of snow. While they were working on redeeming the village Sheklab, another blizzard hit Iran on 11 February 1972 which forced the rescue workers to evacuate the hard-hit places. On their way back, the army helicopters left behind two tons of supplies for the survivors in the hope that the survivors could benefit from these provisions. However, to their shock, they found out that none of the inhabitants of Sheklab survived this great blizzard.Sad Details About Biggest Blizzard In The WorldIran was a victim of three to four years of drought before 1972. The drought ended dramatically in February 1972 when the greatest winter storm of the century hit Iran out of the blue. This great blizzard was later described to be one of the worst blizzards with a large number of casualties. This winter storm lasted for a week and blanketed the majority of the country, burying thousands of people under it.The tragic outcome of this blizzard was shocking as this was the biggest blizzard that was ever recorded. The landmass of Iran vanished under snow mass and its people were trapped under the heavyweight of the snow masses. Their own houses turned into freezing death traps and the frozen corpses were dug out from them. The extent of the great blizzard was surprisingly large, exceeding the extent of the Great Blizzard of 1888 faced by the US. When the rescue works resumed in the affected towns and villages, thousands of Iranian villagers were unaccounted for. The storm deposited 10-26 ft (3-8 m) snow on the landmass after multiple years of drought. Around 6,000 people went missing after this storm from the entire landmass, out of which 4,000 people inhabited the southern parts only. This came totally as a surprise.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for biggest blizzard in the world, then why not take a look at biggest clocks in the world, or biggest earthquake in Los Angeles?
In 1972, Iran was hit by the deadliest blizzard of the history of making; it is recorded to be the biggest blizzard in the world.
