Earth Changes
The snowfall in the Turkish Riviera, a popular vacation spot, blocked roads and led to the closure of schools in four districts.
Tourists and locals were surprised by the sudden snowfall that has already paralyzed daily life in other parts of the country. Temperatures dropped as low as 3 degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit), although the area was still hotter compared to the minus 20 degrees Celsius temperatures in eastern Turkey.
The snowfall particularly affected the higher areas in the city, Kepezüstü district in particular, which is located some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from central Antalya. Traffic on the road connecting central Antalya to the Korkuteli district also came to a halt due to heavy snowfall, which blanketed the natural and man-made beauties the city boasts, from the ancient city of Thermessos to the forests north of the city, which are situated along the Mediterranean coast.

A plume rises from Bogoslof volcano, partially obscured by a mountain on Unalaska Island, in this view from Unalaska, about 60 miles east of the volcano, on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2016.
Observatory volcanologist Robert McGimsey says Wednesday afternoon's eruption of the Bogoslof volcano was "almost a carbon copy" of an eruption 24 hours earlier.
He tells The Associated Press that both eruptions prompted the highest alert level and both were downgraded hours after the events.
Tuesday's eruption sent ash and steam 34,000 feet into the air, while Wednesday burst went 1,000 feet higher. Officials say both volcanic explosions were also short-lived.
The observatory said early Thursday that it was reducing the alert level because there had been no recent volcano activity.
The volcano is located on an island of the same name in the Bering Sea about 850 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Source: AP
The fog was filmed by local photographer Levi Drevlow on December 18, and it looks like something out of a disaster movie, dwarfing a freighter in the port of Duluth as it fearlessly steers straight towards the snowy fog bank.
While scary-looking, the cloud is actually quite natural, the result of a quick temperature drop to -18 Celsius (about -0.4 Fahrenheit). The difference between cold air and warm water is what sent the dense vapor hundreds of feet upwards above the largest of North America's Great Lakes.

A wildlife officer says it isn't uncommon for whales to wash up on shore on P.E.I.
"I doubt there is much more [that is] going to be accomplished, other than just burying it," said Chuck Gallison with Forest, Fish and Wildlife.
Found near New London lighthouse
Gallison said the whale, approximately seven metres long, was probably floating in the water for a while before it washed on shore near the New London lighthouse, likely during a recent storm.

Marine Marine Laboratory staff and interns conduct a necropsy on a dolphin found on the shore of Longboat Key on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit was called out around 10:37 a.m., where deputy John Fandozzi recovered the dolphin and took it to Ken Thompson Park, where Mote Marine Laboratory transported it to determine a cause of death.
On Tuesday, Mote's Stranding Investigations program did a necropsy on the animal and discovered it was CLA2, a dolphin who was being studied by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program that uses the "natural laboratory" of Sarasota Bay to keep track of local populations. The animal was believed to be born sometime before 2010 and had been seen 16 times in the Gulf of Mexico — most recently on Aug. 1.
Cyclone Yvette is expected to make landfall in Australia's northwest over the Christmas weekend.
Meteorologists have issued a severe weather warning, predicting wind gusts of 160km/h (100mph), heavy rain and possible flash flooding.
The cyclone has been preceded by a dust storm in the region, a major mining centre.
Refrigeration mechanic Dan Carey said clouds the colour of "iron ore" rolled over his town of Port Hedland.
"It feels like the calm before the storm at the moment," he told the BBC.
"I've tidied up and got everything under cover."
During all days of December, the average temperature has not come close to normal. The temperature in the Khanty-Mansiysk dropped to -43ºC, setting a new daily record. The previous record was -39.6 degrees in 1937. In Salekhard, it fell to -41.5 degrees, also a new record.
And last night in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, the temperature dropped to -43ºC, -46ºC.
Temperature map:
You don't believe me? Look at these pictures and videos captured by residents of different towns in Northern Borders Region, close to Jordan.
After Algeria and the Sahara Desert, it is now the northern part of Saudi Arabia that is covered by snow... Another weather anomaly!
Heavy snow fall suspended daily life in northern areas as temperature fell below freezing point on December 20, 2016 afternoon.
According to him, his ex-girlfriend is to blame for the horrible incidence.
Speaking with Daily Sun SA, the man said he will never forgive his ex-girlfriend for what happened to his four-month-old baby girl.
The man from Mavimbela section in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, South Africa, claims his child was bitten to death by rats while the ex-girlfriend was out drinking on Friday.
She allegedly left the baby locked in the shack until she came back the next morning.
A storm more similar to November or March will swing northeastward over the northern Plains during Christmas Day. The storm will deliver everything from a wintry mix and a blizzard to drenching rain and severe thunderstorms to portions of the central United States.
Snow to spread southward along Interstate 25 Saturday
After departing the Intermountain West with moderate snow and slippery travel conditions, the storm will emerge over the High Plains and begin to strengthen.
Travel conditions will deteriorate from north to south over the Interstate 25 corridor during Saturday around Billings, Montana, to Casper, Wyoming, during Saturday evening and then the Denver area beginning late Saturday night.
Snow will also develop and spread eastward over the northern Plains. The snow will spread into Bismarck, North Dakota, on Saturday, then to Rapid City, South Dakota, and Fargo, North Dakota, during Saturday night.















Comment: This is actually the second time it has happened there this year. (No, it doesn't normally happen there.)