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)
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) #
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) #
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) #
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) #
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) #