Record Snowfall Slams Major Cities Hard: Worst in '203 Years'
Cities in Japan, Russia, and Canada are among those experiencing jaw-dropping, record-breaking snowfall this winter.
Social media images captured the stunningly large snowfall in major cities like Moscow and Toronto. Hundreds of people were injured in a record-setting Japanese snowfall. The United States was also hit hard by snowfalls, with some cities in New York and Massachusetts receiving 22 inches of snow this winter.
Meanwhile, in the American West, some states are experiencing a record snow "drought" that could increase wildfire risk, according to The Associated Press.
What is causing the bizarre weather patterns in 2025-26?
"An unusually early sudden stratospheric warming episode in late November appears to have factored into a weakened and distorted polar vortex at times in December, likely causing extra waviness in the polar jet stream," NASA explained. "This helped fuel extensive intrusions of frigid air into the mid-latitudes, contributing to cold snaps in North America, Europe, and Asia, and priming the atmosphere for disruptive winter storms in January."
Moscow, Russia, Recorded Its Highest Snowfall in 203 Years, Reports Say
(Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Social media images focused on the Kamchatka region in Russia's far east, which saw massive snowfall. However, the snowfall also set a record in Moscow. Moscow State University meteorologists told Euro News that the snow delayed commuter trains and caused other issues there.
"By 29 January, the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory had recorded almost 92 mm of precipitation, which is already the highest value in the last 203 years," the university added. According to France24, snow piles reached 24 inches in the city.
The Observatory told France24 that the record-setting blizzards were "caused by deep and extensive cyclones with sharp atmospheric fronts passing over the Moscow region."
Toronto & Japanese Cities Were Also Hit Hard by Snow This Winter
(Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images)
In January, Toronto also experienced the worst snowfall in its history, recording 23 inches of snow, according to The Guardian. The snowfall caused hundreds of collisions and cancelled flights.
Japan has also seen record-breaking snowfalls this winter.
"Record-breaking snowfall in Japan has been blamed for 30 deaths in the past two weeks," a late January article by Al-Jazeera reported. How bad was it? A 91-year-old woman was found buried under 118 inches "of snow outside her home," the site reported.
Japan dispatched troops to the affected areas. The northern city of Aomori recorded 72 inches of snow, breaking a record that had lasted for 40 years, Al-Jazeera added.
The snow in Japan "snow that "often falls when frigid air from Siberia flows across the relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan," NASA explained.
Throughout History, Shocking Snowfalls Have Been Recorded
History has seen its share of jaw-dropping snowfall totals before. For example, in 2015, the Apennine Mountain town of Capracotta, Italy, received 100.8 inches of snow in just 18 hours, according to Powder.com.
In 1921, a blizzard dropped 75.8 inches on Silver Lake, Colorado, in 24 hours, the site reported, and in 1963, Thompson Pass, Alaska, recorded a 78-inch snowfall.
There are also some stunning cumulative snowfall records. For example, according to Powder.com, "a relentless storm at Mount Shasta Ski Bowl amassed 189 inches" of snow in 1959.