Extreme weather sweeps the world
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The big story early this year has been the unusual extreme cold weather sweeping across Europe, Asia and North America. However, other regions are basking in the sun. The Mediterranean, Alaska and northern Canada are unseasonably warm, and Australia is experiencing heatwaves.
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![A girl walks across Westminster Bridge during snowfall in London January 6, 2010. Blizzards swept across central and southern England on Wednesday, bringing more road and rail chaos, forcing airlines to suspend flights and hundreds of schools to close. [Chinadaily.com.cn via agencies]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20100114/00114320f5750cb9015303.jpg "A girl walks across Westminster Bridge during snowfall in London January 6, 2010. Blizzards swept across central and southern England on Wednesday, bringing more road and rail chaos, forcing airlines to suspend flights and hundreds of schools to close. [Chinadaily.com.cn via agencies]")
The death toll from the severe cold weather across north and east China rose to six on Jan 13 with millions of others affected. The heavy snow caused disruptions to railway and road transportation, stranded or delayed airlines, forced some provinces to ration electricity for industrial use, and caused many primary and secondary schools to close. In addition, the worst sea ice in the past 30 years appeared from early Jan. along the coastline of the Bohai Sea and northern Yellow Sea.[Full Coverage]
More than 300 people have died in India as of January 12, 2010, due to the ongoing extremely cold weather that hit the northern and eastern regions of the country.
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videoEurope was gripped by a severe freeze. Temperatures as low as minus 22C (-8F) have left 122 dead in Poland this winter, while in central Norway temperatures plummeted to minus 41C (-42F) on Wednesday. Temperatures in England dropped to minus 17C (1F) on Thursday and virtually the whole of the UK is covered in snow.
In the US, new low temperature records were set in many regions, including many southern states. The cold weather left hundreds of thousands of homes without power, 2,900 traffic accidents and disabled vehicles. A major snowstorm on Jan. 7 forced more than 500 flights to be cancelled and over 150 schools closed.
Meanwhile, Australia has had its hottest decade on record. Rises in heatwaves, drought, dust storms and extreme wildfires have been linked with global warming. Australia experienced three record-breaking heatwaves around the country in 2009, a highly unusual event which Climatologist Dean Collins said was consistent with global warming.
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Latest News
China
• Death toll rises to 21 for NW China blizzards
• Snow, rain play havoc with travel
• In Bohai, all at sea on the ice
• Wild animals head for food after heavy snow in Xinjiang
• Xinjiang: 80 passengers saved from snow 
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• Heavy snow disrupts traffic in Xinjiang
• Xinjiang faces more misery in new cold wave
• Worst sea ice in 30 years appeared along Bohai Sea coastline
• Zoologists call for bird protection in severe winter
• Wen stresses food, heating supply in cold weather
• New round of heavy snowfall hits E China
• Record snowstorms slam many parts of China 
video
• Sea ice threatening ships, fishermen
• Xinjiang farming industry suffers from continuous snowy weather 
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• Alarm issued on fast developing sea ice off eastern coast [photos]
• At least 6 dead, millions affected by cold snap
World
• U.S. capital paralyzed by heavy snowstorm
• Snow flurries cool summer in Australia
• Frigid cold grips Russia's Far East
• Cold weather kill more than 300 in India
• Heavy snowfall brings Moscow transport chaos
• Blizzards sweep across Britain
• Snowstorm blasts South Korea
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