Tuesday, June 17, 2014

December around the world

A snowstorm in the Middle East, 95 degree temperatures in Buenos Aires, flooding in Gaza, ice storms in Canada. It’s a typical December around the world. Or is it? --Thea Breite

Eve Grayson, a Reindeer herder of the Cairgorm Reindeer Herd, feeds the deer on December 23, 2013 in Aviemore, Scotland. Reindeer were introduced to Scotland in 1952 by Swedish Sami Reindeer herder, Mikel Utsi. Starting with just a few reindeer, the herd has now grown in numbers over the years and is currently at about 130 by controlling the breeding. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

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A woman struggles with her umbrella as rising water levels from the River Ouse bring floodwaters into riverside roads in York, England, as heavy rain and strong winds sweep across many parts of Britain, Monday Dec. 23, 2013. (John Giles/AP) #

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Ezequiel Gauna cools down in a fountain in downtown in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. Power outages are plaguing Buenos Aires as temperatures soar above 95 degrees and everyone tries to turn on their air conditioners at once. According the government it has added 10,000 megawatts to the grid in the last decade, but the country's demand is outpacing the system's capacity. (Rodrigo Abd/AP) #

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The Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock, some of the holiest sites for Jews and Muslims, are covered in snow in Jerusalem, Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. Early snow has surprised many Israelis and Palestinians as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to parts of the Middle East. (Dusan Vranic/AP) #

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Palestinian children play in the snow in front of the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem on December 12 (Ahmad Gharabliahmad/AFP/Getty Images) #

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Palestinians ride a boat through floodwaters in the Al Sheikh Redwan area that was flooded in Gaza City, 15 December 2013. Thousands of people remained without electricity on Sunday, after a three-day snowstorm hit the Middle East - one of the heaviest ever seen in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Israeli electricity company was still repairing lines damaged by snow or fallen branches. More than 35,000 Israeli families had been without power for up to three days, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, mostly in and around Jerusalem and in northern Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinian homes throughout the West Bank were also cut off. (Mohammed Saber/EPA) #

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A Palestinian man holding his son up in the air is reflected at sunset into flood waters as he walks along the seafront in Gaza City, on December 17, 2013, as the enclave slowly recovers from a severe storm that hit the. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images) #

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A pedestrian ducks under a frozen tree on S. Clair Ave. in Toronto after an ice storm caused havoc and cut power to much of the city on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/AP Photo/The Canadian Press) #

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Tree branches are cased in ice following an ice storm in Toronto December 22, 2013. (Bob Strong/Reuters) #

Thick fog in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab province, Pakistan, 17 December 2013. At least 11 people were killed and 67 injured overnight in Punjab province due to transport accidents related to fog. (Omer Saleem/Reuters) #

An American Robin searches for food on a frozen tree in Augusta, Maine, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013. More than a quarter inch of ice coated tree branches and wires in the Augusta and Gardiner areas at noon. Eric Schwibs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, said those areas could end up with about a half inch of ice accumulating by storm’s. (Andy Molloy/AP/Kennebec Journal) #

A woman has her hair blown by the wind during a snowstorm in Quebec City December 22, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters) #

A pedestrian struggles to hold on to his umbrella along Oxford Street in London, Britain, 23 December 2013. Stormy weather with high winds and torrential rains are expected to cause major travel disruptions one day before Christmas Eve. (Andy Rain/EPA) #

Workers close off the side of a cafe-restaurant to protect customers from heavy winds on December 23, 2013 in Cancale, northwestern France. Fourteen regions in the northwest of France have been placed under alert as a strong storm named "Dirk" was set to pass. (Charly Triballeauch/AFP/Getty Images) #

David Puffer calls for help after he stranded his vehicle in floodwaters on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013 in Baxter County, Ark. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch in southeastern Arkansas and flood warnings and watches in much of the remainder of the state. (Kevin Pieper/AP/The Baxter Bulletin) #

Ducks congregate Dec. 15, 2013 on cracked ice covering a pond at Julia Davis Park in Boise, Idaho. The pond has unsafe ice signs posted and the high temperature reached 36 degrees in Boise on Sunday. (Kyle Green/AP/The Idaho Statesman) #

A layer of ice coats the leaf of a Japanese maple tree after an ice storm in Toronto December 22, 2013. (Chris Helgren/Reuters) #