Baby It's Cold Outside Quiz | Disasters

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. It was the third worst blizzard in history at the time and claimed over nine hundred lives. This country's mountain ranges experience strong winds, which aided in the development of the blizzard. On January 10, 2008, what country experienced this occurrence of extreme weather?

Answer: Afghanistan

Temperatures in Afghanistan fell to a low of -22�F (-30�C) with up to six feet (180 cm) of snow in the more mountainous regions, killing at least 926 people. The weather also claimed more than 100,000 sheep and goats, and nearly 315,000 cattle.

2. In 1718, the Swedish army under Kings Charles XI and Charles XII fought the Great Northern War against Russia and lost some of their northern territory. To compensate, Sweden attacked Norway where they were again defeated. In January 1719, the Swedish troops were ordered home. Their route took them across the Tydal mountain range when a blizzard struck. What name was given to their ordeal?

Answer: The Carolean Death March

The Carolean Death March was second worst blizzard in history when it occurred.
Three thousand soldiers froze to death. Horses died, equipment was burned for warmth, and supplies were left behind as the remaining soldiers tried to escape. Over the next few days and after finding lodging, battle-fatigued and malnourished, another 700 men died.

3. From March 11-14, 1888, the U.S. East Coast was subjected to the fourth worst blizzard in history at the time. Over four hundred perished, two hundred in New York City. What name was this disaster given?

Answer: The Great White Hurricane

The Great White Hurricane, as it was called was the deadliest, snowiest, and most unusual winter storm in American history. Over 400 perished, including 200 in New York City alone, many literally buried in drifts in downtown Manhattan. On March 13, 1888, the temperature in New York fell to 6�F during the storm.

New York City started plans for its subway system after the blizzard because of an overhead rail disaster during the storm.

4. January 26-27, 1967, saw this major U.S. city hit with a blizzard that dropped twenty-three inches of snow in thirty-six hours. High winds caused snow drifts four to six feet high. The storm was the biggest disruption this city has seen since its Great Fire in 1871. Which city was it?

Answer: Chicago

When it was over sixty people in the Chicago area had died, and there was an estimated $150 million in business losses ($1.19 billion today). Just two days before the storm, the high temperature was a record 65�F.

Refrigerated railcars of snow were delivered to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, after a 13-year-old boy wrote a letter to the president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, saying that he'd never seen snow.

5. On January 22, 1922, a blizzard struck the Washington, D.C., area dumping over twenty-eight inches of heavy wet snow. The blizzard became known as the "Knickerbocker Blizzard". What was the Knickerbocker?

Answer: a theater

The Knickerbocker theatre had a full house of 900 people for a new silent movie, "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford". The movie started at 9pm. Then, without warning, the roof gave way under the weight of snow and brought the balcony down with it. Ninety-eight people were crushed to death and many more were injured.

One of the newest and largest theaters in Washington, the Knickerbocker had an unusual flat roof. Construction of the Knickerbocker was not up to code, and both the architect and the building's owner later killed themselves.

6. This storm formed over the Gulf of Mexico in March 1993, reaching Category Five in terms of intensity and wind speed. Then it followed the Appalachian Mountain chain from Alabama to Canada. What name was given to this monster "snowicane"?

Answer: The Storm of the Century

The Storm of the Century, also known as the Blizzard of '93, was a line of severe storms with wind gusts over 100 mph that dumped snowfall of up to fifty feet in some areas along its path. The storm spawned up to 11 tornadoes. One of the longest-lived tornadoes tracked on the ground for 30 miles and was ranked as an F2 tornado on the Fujita scale. In Florida, a massive storm surge swept houses out to sea.

The Storm of the Century spread heavy snow across a significantly large area, with snow accumulating in nearly every state east of the Mississippi River. It is estimated that the historic blizzard caused $6 to $11 billion in damages and killed more than 300 people.

7. What was the name of the severe winter storm that impacted every state from Minnesota to Maryland on November 11, 1940?

Answer: The Armistice Day Blizzard

The Armistice Day Blizzard took with it over 150 lives, mainly because it had not been predicted by meteorologists. The weather had been balmy for days and many people, especially duck hunters, were outdoors dressed in light sweaters and jackets. The temperature plummeted from 60 degrees to single digits in less than 24 hours. Three large freighters went down on Lake Michigan.

After the storm the National Weather Service mandated that their offices be manned 24/7.

8. "Never such a Snow in the Memory of Man!", wrote Cotton Mather after a series of storms. The snow covered entire houses, drifts were recorded as high as thirty feet. What was it called?

Answer: The Great Snow of 1717

The Great Snow of 1717 blanketed the American colonies from Virginia to New England. The snow reached depths of five to fifteen feet.

9. This weather event occurred in February 2021 and covered every county in the state of Texas. What name was given to this event?

Answer: The Great Texas Freeze

The Great Texas Freeze started with sleet and freezing rain. Six to nine consecutive days of freezing temperatures followed that broke records for the longest freezing streak in the state's recorded history. Freezing precipitation created thin layers of ice on roadways. Cars slid off of freeways and streets resulting in accidents, including a pile-up of over 100 vehicles on I-35 leaving several fatalities in its wake. Due to the impassable roads and state-wide blackout, there were also shortages at grocery stores. The death toll was reported at over 200 and damages were estimated at over a billion dollars.

It was the coldest winter storm for Texas since December 1989.

10. At the time of its occurrence, what had been the deadliest blizzard on record?

Answer: Iran Blizzard 1972

The deadliest blizzard on record happened in Iran in February 1972 when 4,000 people were killed. Southern Iran received 26 feet of snow. People were left without food, water, heat, and medical supplies. The blizzard wiped 200 villages off the map. Most of western Iran, was entirely buried for more than a week.

Source: Author ncterp

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Baby It's Cold Outside Trivia Quiz

Winter is rapidly approaching, at least in the northern hemisphere. That means that some areas of the world will unfortunately have to deal with the topic of this quiz - blizzards.

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