This is a list of weather events which occurred during wars and how those weather events affected the wars.
16th century
Sengoku period Siege of Katsurayama – The siege in 1557 was fought between the forces of the Japanese daimyō Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin as part of the Kawanakajima campaigns. Katsurayama castle was a strategically vital Uesugi stronghold in the contested Shinano Province and, when it was isolated from reinforcements due to late snow in early 1557, the Takeda clan used this opportunity to seize it under Baba Nobuharu, shielded from view by heavy snowfall.
Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Spanish Armada – In 1588, the Spanish Empire created the Spanish Armada and set sail to invade the Kingdom of England. While the Spanish ships were anchored off the coast of France, the British set fire to eight ships, letting the wind and tide help set fire across the fleet. Soon after, the British launched an attack on the Spanish Armada during sea storms. These storms are attributed to the reason the British defeated the Spanish invasion.
17th century
First English Civil War Battle of Nantwich – In 1643 or 1644, Prince Rupert made an abortive attack on the Parliamentarian stronghold of Aylesbury England. 500 men are reported to have frozen to death on 21 January. On 25 January a sudden thaw caused a bridge to collapse over the River Weaver, splitting Royalist cavalry forces at the Battle of Nantwich resulting in their defeat.
18th century
Great Northern War Swedish invasion of Russia – In the Great Northern War, Charles XII of Sweden invaded the Russian Empire, crossing the Vistula on 1 January 1708. The Russians retreated, adopting a scorched-earth policy. The winter of 1708–1709 was the most brutal of the 18th century, so severe that the seaport of Venice froze during the Great Frost of 1709. Charles' 35,000 troops were crippled, and by the spring of 1709 only 19,000 were left. The Battle of Poltava in the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate in late June 1709 sealed the end of the Swedish Empire.
American Revolutionary War George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River – On December 25, 1776, George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the icy Delaware River. During the crossing, the weather became progressively worse, turning from drizzle to rain and then to sleet and snow. "It blew a hurricane," one soldier recalled. Battle of Long Island – During the battle, the British trapped and laid siege to George Washington and the United States' Continental Army with their army and the East River. Instead of directly attacking the Continental Army, the British began digging trenches. On the afternoon of August 28, 1776, rain fell, which concealed the Continental Army cannons, which attacked the British forces. Over the next day, the Continental Army planned on how to evacuate across the East River to escape the British siege. During the night on August 30, a dense fog set across the river, which allowed the entire Continental Army's 9,000 troops to cross the river with no casualties. Battle of Monmouth Court House – During the battle, most of the casualties occurred from heat-related illnesses. Battle of Rhode Island – A French naval force under Admiral Charles Henri Hector d'Estaing was sent to assist Washington; deciding New York was too formidable a target, in August they launched a combined attack on Newport, with General John Sullivan commanding land forces. The resulting Battle of Rhode Island was indecisive; badly damaged by a storm, the French withdrew to avoid putting their ships at risk. Further activity was limited to British raids on Chestnut Neck and Little Egg Harbor in October.
19th century
Napoleonic Wars
French invasion of Russia – Napoleon's Grande Armée of 610,000 men invaded Russia, heading through territory of today's Belarus towards Moscow, in the beginning of summer on 24 June 1812. The Russian army retreated before the French and again burnt their crops and villages, denying the enemy their use. Napoleon's army was ultimately reduced to 100,000. His army suffered further, even more disastrous losses on the retreat from Moscow, which started in October. Multiple sources concur that winter and its aftermath was only a contributing factor to Napoleon's defeat and retreat.
War of 1812 Burning of Washington – Following the United Kingdom's capture of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, a sudden, very heavy thunderstorm—possibly a hurricane—put out the fires started by the British. It also spun off a tornado that passed through the center of the capital, setting down on Constitution Avenue and lifting two cannons before dropping them several yards away and killing British troops and American civilians alike. Following the storm, the British troops returned to their ships, many of which were badly damaged. There is some debate regarding the effect of this storm on the occupation. While some assert that the storm forced the British to retreat, historians have argued that their intention was only to destroy the city's government buildings, rather than occupy it for an extended period. The British occupation of Washington lasted only about 26 hours. Despite this, the "Storm that saved Washington", as it became known, did the opposite according to some. The rains sizzled and cracked the already charred walls of the White House and ripped away at structures the British had no plans to destroy (such as the Patent Office).
American Civil War Burnside's Mud March – During the march, the weather deteriorated, with a strong storm producing cold temperatures, strong wind and heavy precipitation. Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse – During the battle from May 11th-13th a heavy rain fell on the battlefield, which assisted Union assaults on the "Mule Shoe” and during the 24 hours of combat gun powder would become wet and unusable and the Union and Confederate soldiers alike had to fight hand to hand. It is believed some of the most savage fighting of the American Civil War took place here, now known as the Bloody Angle.
20th century
World War II
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
