Cold winter weather that has been called the worst in 50 years has gripped England and turned deadly. Showing the widespread extent of the snowfall, NASA released imagery today from its Terra satellite showing the nation under a blanket of white.

The severe cold in the country has turned deadly and claimed 22 lives since it first struck last month. Schools across the nation have been forced to close and air and road travel has been severely impacted. Many homes have found themselves without power.

The nation found itself unprepared by the cold as it was facing shortages of road salt and more critically, natural gas for heating. Suppliers of salt said they were having a hard time keeping up with demand and may very well run out before the cold weather is finished. Companies in northern England have been ordered to shut down in order to preserve natural gas supplies.

Unusually heavy snow and cold has affected not only Great Britain but large swaths of the Northern Hemisphere. The eastern two thirds of the United States was experiencing far below normal temperatures and Asia found itself dealing with snow and cold as well.

For a larger image, please check out the story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.