Winter is arriving in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing chilly winds and heavy snowfall to many regions. In late November, Seattle and Vancouver experienced an early snowstorm, parts of New York State are still digging out of a recent storm, and many parts of Europe are now enduring a deadly cold snap, with temperatures in Poland falling as low as -33C (-27F). People all over are donning their heavy coats and gloves and heading outside to either battle the elements, or find ways to play. Collected here are recent photos from northern areas where winter weather has made an impact, and some of the ways the people and animals are dealing with the changing seasons.
Harrison Harper, 10, makes good use of the overnight snowfall and a hill behind his house in Boise, Idaho on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010.
A parhelion (sundog) combined with a halo is seen over Lake Malaren in central Stockholm, Sweden on November 30, 2010. These weather phenomena are created by ice crystals in the atmosphere during cold weather. Stockholm was experiencing temperatures below minus 10 degree Celsius
Dodie, a one year old dalmatian, enjoys the snowy conditions in Brockwell Park on December 2, 2010 in London, England. Heavy snowfall across the country resulted in severe disruption to road, rail and air travel as well as the closure of over 6,500 schools.
A street performer dressed as the character Darth Vader stands in front of the Brandenburg Gate during snowfall in Berlin, December 2, 2010.
Tina Maze of Slovenia competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill training on December 1, 2010 in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.
A snow-covered cabin is lit by Christmas lights along the shoreline of Lake Louise after sunset in Alberta, Canada on November 29, 2010.
A lone tree stands in the fog on a snow covered field in Rubigen, near Bern, Switzerland on December 2, 2010.
A street lamp is completely covered with ice and snow outside a restaurant at the Feldberg mountain in Koenigstein, 30km west of Frankfurt, Germany on December 2, 2010.
A sheep stands covered in snow in a field near Middleham, northern England December 1, 2010.
Children play with snowballs in front of a Ferris wheel in Place Bellecour in Lyon, France on December 1, 2010.
The sun breaks through the fog over the inner harbor as below zero temperatures grip Stockholm, Sweden on December 2, 2010. The midday temperature in Stockholm stood at -14 C (7 F) and the Swedish Meteorological Institute predicted the freeze to continue for the rest of the week.
A woman cleans her frozen car windshield during a freezing morning in Bucharest, Romania on December 2, 2010.
Snow covers a statue in Newcastle, England on November 29, 2010.
The landscape is covered in snow on November 29, 2010 at the Schlaubetal natural park near Mixdorf, Germany.
Ski instructors with the Copper Mountain Ski and Ride School ski down the mountain into the village during the torchlight parade as part of the ski resort's En Fuego Celebration at Copper Mountain, Colorado on Nov 27, 2010.
General view of Le Mont Saint Michel under snow in France on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010.
People dressed as St. Nicholas, a knave in a traditional Bavarian woman's dress, two Gangerl and Buttenmandl make their way through the snow during the traditional Buttenmandl-Parade near the village of Bischofswiesen-Loipl, southern Germany, on November 28, 2010. On the first Sunday of the Advent season, St. Nicholas is traditionally accompanied by twelve Buttenmandls and a knave when they go from house to house to give small presents to the children. Only unmarried men are allowed to parade as Buttenmandls, who are completely covered in straw and wear animal masks and cow bells.
Flamingos stand in the snow in their enclosure as the Hagenbeck zoo in the German city of Hamburg on December 3, 2010.
A man makes his way home from the shops November 29, 2010 in Auchterarder, Scotland.
A kite snowboarder takes a fall at the German Feldberg mountain on November 27, 2010.
Hoar frost clings to a spider's web around Pickmere Lake in the Cheshire countryside on December 3, 2010 in Knutsford, United Kingdom.
U.S. Army Spc. Ron Washington walks from his Humvee and past stuck cars on the Alaskan Way Viaduct to check on the gridlock on the highway Monday, Nov. 22, 2010, in Seattle, Washington. Drivers were stuck for hours throughout the Puget Sound region, as Washington state was hit by its first significant snowfall of the season Monday, with several inches on the ground in Spokane and just enough snow in the Puget Sound area to make traffic a mess.
A horse stands in a meadow covered in freshly-fallen snow in Phalsbourg, France, as winter weather hits the region November 26, 2010.
A German police officer stands in heavy snow as she guards the Reichstag buildings in Berlin Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010.
A sledder starts downhill after a push with the Space Needle in the background on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, in Seattle's Gasworks Park.
Polar bear cub Taiga sleeps atop its mother on a snowy day at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St-Felicien, Quebec on November 30, 2010.
A long exposure photograph shows a tree in front of the snow-covered Bernese alps and the city of Thun in Oberbuetschel, Switzerland on November 30, 2010.
Benches on a sea bridge are covered with ice at the Baltic Sea village of Scharbeutz, Germany on December 2, 2010.
A herd of bison along the Bitterroot Valley's Eastside Highway near Stevensville, Montana, are covered in snow following a blizzard on Nov. 23, 2010 that swept through the valley earlier.
Leanne Smith of the USA takes a fall as she skis the first run of the Giant Slalom during the Audi FIS Women's World Cup Aspen Winternational on November 27, 2010 in Aspen, Colorado.
Students from Bingen am Rhein enjoy the first snow near the Brandenburg Gate on December 2, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.
A backlit tree is covered with freshly-fallen snow in Budapest, Hungary on November 27. 2010.
Frozen snow clings to the stalks of dead plants on the Auerberg mountain near Stoetten, Germany on on November 25, 2010.
A man skis after heavy snowfall in the Thuringian Forest in Oberhof, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010.
A couple walks arm-in-arm while visiting Capilano Park as the Lions Gate Mountain is seen through the clouds in North Vancouver, British Columbia on November 20, 2010.
A baby elephant takes a walk in the snow at the zoo in the northern German city of Hanover on December 3, 2010.
Archie Kirk plays in the snow as his school remains closed after the heavy snow of the last few days, in Brighton, southern England on December 3, 2010.