Researchers analysing data of eruptions over hundreds of years found that many of the UK’s most extreme summers and devastating winters were not random events but triggered by volcanic blasts.
Scientists from Liverpool University also warned that supervolcanoes could be among the greatest threats to Britain’s climate — even if they flare up thousands of miles away.
Professor Georgina Endfield said that supervolcano eruptions emit billions of tons of gas and ash which can cause temperatures to drop around the world.
She added: “Our records show that some of the worst weather Britain experienced over the last few centuries was associated with eruptions such as the Laki fissures event in Iceland in June 1783 or the explosive Tambora eruption in April 1815.
“After the [recent] disruption in Europe from smaller recent eruptions, researchers are asking if the world is ready for the next volcanic catastrophe.”
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Studying letters, diaries, newspapers and seaside postcards from archives across the UK, Ms Endfield and her team found 20,000 descriptions of blizzards, hurricanes, roasting summers and terrible harvests which closely followed volcanic eruption.
The professor of environmental history said: “We put them into a database so that they can be analysed to reveal clues to the causes of extreme weather.”
The Laki fissures eruption of 1783 in Iceland caused Britain months of extreme weather with thousands of people reportedly freezing to death later that year.
Other archived sources describe the bitter winter of 1794-95, when the Thames and Severn froze, following an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in July before.
The news comes as scientists fear a number of supervolcanoes around the world are on the brink of erupting.
Yellowstone volcano in Wyoming, USA, was struck by 1,400 earthquakes earlier month sparking fears it could blow at any moment.
If the supervolcano were to erupt it would kill an estimated 87,000 people immediately and make two-thirds of the USA immediately uninhabitable.
If the supervolcano were to erupt it would kill an estimated 87,000 people immediately and make two-thirds of the USA immediately uninhabitable.
Meanwhile scientists believe Italy’s supervolcano Campi Flegrei is at a critical stage – threatening the lives of more than 360,000 people across Europe.
Experts also believe Mount St Helens – which killed 57 people when it erupted in 1980 and deposited ash in 11 different American states and five Canadian provinces – may be recharging.