Natural Wonders: Winter Weather 2012

Winter Weather 2012

From surfing in Southern California to swimming in China, here is a look at winter weather pictures from around the world made during January and February.

1. A swimmer jumps into icy water for a morning swim in Shenyang, China on Jan. 6, 2012. Many Shenyang citizens persist in doing outdoor exercises in winter, shrugging off the cold weather.

2. A runner is framed by the posts of a snow fence at Tenney Park in Madison, Wis., as mild winter weather conditions in the region offer outdoor enthusiasts an opportunity to explore recreational activities in relative comfort on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012.

3. Fabian McCullough from Tampa, Fla. loads his paddle board in the back of a pickup truck after spending time paddling around the Davis Islands with his friend, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather on Jan. 10, 2012.

4. A surfer loses contact with his board as he sails over the high surf at sunset Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 in Encinitas, Calif.

5. A man crosses the Magdalena bridge as low-lying cloud hovers over the Arga River, near Pamplona, northern Spain, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012.

6. People cross the Oberbaum bridge over the river Spree in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. Berlin recorded lows of around minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees fahrenheit) on Monday morning.

7. Ducks take off from a pound on a cold winter's day in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012.

8. A Greek athlete swims in a heated open-air swimming pool during cold weather in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012.

9. A Japanese snow monkey relaxes in a hot spring in the Jigokudani valley in northern Nagano Prefecture in Japan Friday, Feb 10, 2012. The macaques descend from the forests to the warm waters of the hot springs in the mornings, and return to the security of the forests in the evenings.

10. An African Penguin swims at the zoo in Berlin, Germany on Jan. 13, 2012. Cold weather doesn't keep this bird, who is at home in Artic temperatures, from swimming daily.

11. Passenger Crystal Armstrong, who is riding in a motorcycle side-car, undoes some of her face protection, as motorcyclists brave the falling snow while gathering for a Friday the 13th event in Port Dover, Ontario, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012.

12. Homeless people eat a free meal provided by the Russian Orthodox church near a railway terminal in Moscow, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. In Moscow temperatures fell to minus 14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

13. People make their way in the morning fog on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012.

14. Indian laborers warm themselves around a small fire next to a cart in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. Though India is famous for its brutally hot summers, temperatures fall sharply for a few weeks in December and January.

15. Afghan refugee children who fled their country with parents and their family members, sit around a fire during the cold winter in a slums of Islamabad, Pakistan where thousands of families living below the poverty line, on Monday, Feb 6, 2012.

16. Bus passengers are seen through a frost-covered window on a cold day in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. A severe cold spell gripped Eastern Europe in February, as temperatures plunged to -32.5 degrees Celsius (-26.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

17. A pedestrians walks past an ice covered window on a winter's day in the Kosovo capital Pristina, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012.

18. A bundled up passer-by looks through a window covered with ice in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Feb. 5, 2012, where the temperature dropped below -40 degrees C (-40 F) for nine straight days.

19. A man crouches on a snow-covered walkway outside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Overnight snowfall covered the metro area, causing delays in public transportation.

20. Monkeys huddle together on a fence at a local park at Tangmarg, about 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012.

21. A boy swims in the flooded waters near his home in Kampung Melayu, Indonesia on Feb. 27, 2012. The flooding is due to heavy rains in the area.

22. A couple with umbrellas walk through heavy rain after a rally was canceled due the bad weather outside the Greek parliament in Athens, on Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012.

23. Broken branches and household debris are scattered across a lawn early Wednesday morning, Feb. 29, 2012 in Harveyville, Kan., after an apparent tornado passed through the town Tuesday night. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency late Tuesday after a powerful storm system pounded the state's midsection.

24. A submerged school bus lies on its side as Diane Garibaldi looks on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in Salem, Ore. Up to 10 inches of rain fell on parts of the Oregon Coast Range in a 36-hour period.

25.A woman walks under snowfall in St.Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, past a graffiti painting on a fence.

26. A snowplow clears snow from the road in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

27. A woman walks across a snow covered square in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Friday Feb. 10, 2012. Europe has been battling a deep freeze that started in late January.

28. A boy makes his way up a hill while carrying his sled, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Bowling Green, Ohio. The area received a couple inches of snow marking it as the first accumulation of snow this winter season.

29. A family skates across Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, Alaska on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012.

30. A winter snow inspired Lincoln neighborhood residents to take an early morning walk Wednesday Jan. 18, 2012 in Vancouver, Wash.

31. Gary McCarron makes his way up from his truck that slid off Highway 126 West of Walton, Ore. Tuesday Jan. 17, 2012. McCarron said he was returning from work and going about 20 mph when he slid off the road.

32. A break in the snow berm allows for an entrance to a business near the Valdez harbor, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 in Valdez, Alaska. In mid-January, the city was digging out from more than 322 inches of snow. That was 168 inches above a normal winter snowfall, the National Weather Service said.

33. Cars, trucks and buses seen in the city's snow-blanketed financial and commercial Levent district in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012.

34. Cars rest in the ditch in Nantes, France on Jan. 30, 2012 during the first heavy snowfall of the winter. The weather prompted snow and ice alerts for 23 departments in western France, stretching from Normandy to Aveyron.

35. People walk along ice sculptures on display in Sokolniki park in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. The ice and snow park is called Moroz (Frost) City and was created by mostly art students, architects and designers.