Snowfall could abruptly end the early arrival of snowdrops, hazel catkins and butterflies following the warmest year since records began.

A potentially "historic and destructive" winter storm and blizzard will likely hit areas of Massachusetts beginning Monday night, dumping heavy snow and bringing strong winds, state emergency officials said Sunday.

Up to 8 inches of snow is expected to fall over parts of the Northeast this weekend, and a wintry mix could make for a messy Monday morning commute in New York, Boston and other cities.

Celebrate this cold time of year by getting cozy with sad, strange, and beautiful new books.

These lonely little winter houses lost in majestic scenery will take your breath away!

Only in Sweden.

In 1933, the village of Oymyakon, Russia recorded the lowest temperature on earth for any permanently inhabited location at a chilling – 90°F (- 67°C). Though temperatures of that record are rare, Oymyakon regularly averages – 30°F and is considered the one of coldest places on earth. Not many people would find this isolated tundra appealing, but New Zealand native Amos Chapple just couldn’t resist.

Parts of the UK are being warned to brace themselves for more bad weather as tens of thousands of homes remain without power.

Every year, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, the city of Harbin hosts the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, featuring massive ice and snow sculptures. At night, the sculptures are colorfully illuminated and visitors can climb and play on some of them.

By Photographer Azul Obscura's own words: "New Year's Day of 2015, it was heavy snow in Kyoto. The next day morning, I went to Daigoji without hesitation. There was incredibly beautiful scenery, I felt like I was in a dream..."

The lowest temperatures of 2014 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland were recorded overnight.

Around 15,000 vehicles are stuck in the French Alps as heavy snow blankets roads leading to the region's popular ski resorts. The snow and ice hit as holidaymakers travelled to and from ski resorts in the Savoie region in southeastern France. Authorities have set up shelters in 12 towns to cope with the number of travellers forced to leave their cars. The freezing conditions caused the death of a 27-year-old man whose car slid into a ravine in the...

The December solstice marks the sun's southernmost point for the year - winter for us in the Northern Hemisphere - summer for friends south of the equator.

Gym fatigue, an old injury that makes running on a treadmill awkward, and a general preference for the great outdoors led me to cancel my Planet Fitness membership this year (making me $10 richer every month), which means I’ll be doing all my running outside this winter. The catch here is that I live in Alaska, a place not exactly known for its mild winters, snow-free streets, or, you know, daylight.

I admit, I like dark, stormy skies, and even nippy winter weather. But every winter I get absolutely ruined by the season’s truncated hours of sunshine. I wake up and leave for work before the sun rises, spend all day staring wistfully out the window, then trudge home under dusky skies. Even if I do make it outside, the light I crave is being blocked by endless gray clouds.

I admit, I like dark, stormy skies, and even nippy winter weather. But every winter I get absolutely ruined by the season’s truncated hours of sunshine. I wake up and leave for work before the sun rises, spend all day staring wistfully out the window, then trudge home under dusky skies. Even if I do make it outside, the light I crave is being blocked by endless gray clouds.

Winter has definitely arrived in the Great Lakes region, dumping dangerous amounts of snow on western New York, but bringing some beauty as well. On the shores of Lake Michigan, iced lighthouses can form above the water during periods of cold weather...

Fire hose weather systems are whipping rain and snow at both coasts with mighty gusts. The one on the Pacific Coast is just getting cranked.