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2013: The Year In Extreme Weather Events

It was an intense year for weather. In late summer, Russia experienced its worst floods in 120 years; near the year's end, Typhoon Haiyan battered the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction. Around the world, high winds, floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures all took their toll. (24 PHOTOS)
A dramatic cloud formation tinged with red dust travels across the Indian Ocean near Onslow on Australia's west coast on January 9.
1 A dramatic cloud formation tinged with red dust travels across the Indian Ocean near Onslow on Australia's west coast on January 9.
Women dressed in kimonos walk on a snow-covered street to attend a coming-of-age ceremony in Tokyo on January 14. A storm system swept across central Japan early in the year, causing heavy snowfalls.
2 Women dressed in kimonos walk on a snow-covered street to attend a coming-of-age ceremony in Tokyo on January 14. A storm system swept across central Japan early in the year, causing heavy snowfalls.
A woman waits near traffic lights and signs covered with hoarfrost as the air temperature sank to minus 46 degrees Celsius (minus 50.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk on January 16.
3 A woman waits near traffic lights and signs covered with hoarfrost as the air temperature sank to minus 46 degrees Celsius (minus 50.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk on January 16.
A woman runs through snow during a cold spell in the desert near Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on February 1.
4 A woman runs through snow during a cold spell in the desert near Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on February 1.
A man and a dog cross a flooded graveyard in the village of Monospitovo, in the southeastern tip of Macedonia, on February 27. Three days of torrential rains inundated fields and villages, damaging crops and homes.
5 A man and a dog cross a flooded graveyard in the village of Monospitovo, in the southeastern tip of Macedonia, on February 27. Three days of torrential rains inundated fields and villages, damaging crops and homes.
In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a city worker prepares to clean up the heavy snow in front of the Mikhailovsky Cathedral's frescos on March 26.
6 In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a city worker prepares to clean up the heavy snow in front of the Mikhailovsky Cathedral's frescos on March 26.
Farmer Donald O'Reilly searches a snow drift for sheep and lambs after saving several other animals in the Aughafatten area of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 26. At least 140,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland were left without power following a heavy snowfall that left snowdrifts of up to 5 meters high (18 feet).
7 Farmer Donald O'Reilly searches a snow drift for sheep and lambs after saving several other animals in the Aughafatten area of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 26. At least 140,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland were left without power following a heavy snowfall that left snowdrifts of up to 5 meters high (18 feet).
Heavy fog shrouds a construction site near a residential compound in the Chinese city of Shenyang on April 2.
8 Heavy fog shrouds a construction site near a residential compound in the Chinese city of Shenyang on April 2.
A woman sits in her flooded home in the village of Snyadin, Belarus, near the Pripyat river on April 16.
9 A woman sits in her flooded home in the village of Snyadin, Belarus, near the Pripyat river on April 16.
Residents of the Afghan city Mazar-e Sharif help clear debris on April 24 after heavy rains and floods washed out houses and killed a number of people.
10 Residents of the Afghan city Mazar-e Sharif help clear debris on April 24 after heavy rains and floods washed out houses and killed a number of people.
A bird flies underneath an atmospheric phenomenon known as a parhelion, or "sun dog," in the sky over Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on May 14.
11 A bird flies underneath an atmospheric phenomenon known as a parhelion, or "sun dog," in the sky over Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on May 14.
A funnel cloud almost touches the ground near South Haven, Kansas on May 19. It was part of a massive storm front that swept through the central United States, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain, and tornadoes.
12 A funnel cloud almost touches the ground near South Haven, Kansas on May 19. It was part of a massive storm front that swept through the central United States, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain, and tornadoes.
Two girls stand amid debris after a tornado struck Oklahoma City in the United States on May 20. The 2-mile-wide (3-kilometer-wide) tornado tore through the suburb of Moore, killing at least 51 people while destroying entire tracts of homes.
13 Two girls stand amid debris after a tornado struck Oklahoma City in the United States on May 20. The 2-mile-wide (3-kilometer-wide) tornado tore through the suburb of Moore, killing at least 51 people while destroying entire tracts of homes.
Downtown Belgrade during a hail storm on May 30
14 Downtown Belgrade during a hail storm on May 30
In the Czech capital, Prague, a statue of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy is partially submerged in water from the rising Vltava River on June 2.
15 In the Czech capital, Prague, a statue of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy is partially submerged in water from the rising Vltava River on June 2.
A sandstorm approaches the camp of British forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on June 3.
16 A sandstorm approaches the camp of British forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on June 3.
An Egyptian farmer holds a handful of soil to show the effects of drought on his farm, which was formerly irrigated by the Nile River, in Al-Dakahlya on June 4.
17 An Egyptian farmer holds a handful of soil to show the effects of drought on his farm, which was formerly irrigated by the Nile River, in Al-Dakahlya on June 4.
A boy jumps into a canal to cool off in Lahore, Pakistan, as temperatures reached 43 degrees Celsius.
18 A boy jumps into a canal to cool off in Lahore, Pakistan, as temperatures reached 43 degrees Celsius.
Children sleep on the floor of the Qiaosi subway station in Hangzhou in China's Zhejiang Province on July 26. Hundreds of people sought relief from the heat outside as temperatures in the city reached a high of 40 degrees Celsius and many homes were without power.
19 Children sleep on the floor of the Qiaosi subway station in Hangzhou in China's Zhejiang Province on July 26. Hundreds of people sought relief from the heat outside as temperatures in the city reached a high of 40 degrees Celsius and many homes were without power.
A tractor tows residents through floodwaters to a safe place on the outskirts of Karachi on August 4. Monsoon rains across Pakistan killed more than 100 people and affected hundreds of thousands.
20 A tractor tows residents through floodwaters to a safe place on the outskirts of Karachi on August 4. Monsoon rains across Pakistan killed more than 100 people and affected hundreds of thousands.
A man windsurfs in the flooded Lenin Stadium, home to a local soccer club, in the city of Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East on September 1. The flooding in August and September was Russia's worst in 120 years and cost the country nearly $1 billion.
21 A man windsurfs in the flooded Lenin Stadium, home to a local soccer club, in the city of Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East on September 1. The flooding in August and September was Russia's worst in 120 years and cost the country nearly $1 billion.
People walk through a windstorm near the Ravi River in Lahore, Pakistan, on September 15.
22 People walk through a windstorm near the Ravi River in Lahore, Pakistan, on September 15.
Waves break against a barrier in the port of Boulogne in northern France on October 28. A fierce storm cut off power to nearly 300,000 homes in Britain and France, and left at least two people dead.
23 Waves break against a barrier in the port of Boulogne in northern France on October 28. A fierce storm cut off power to nearly 300,000 homes in Britain and France, and left at least two people dead.
Survivors stand among the ruins of houses after Typhoon Haiyan battered the city of Tacloban in the Philippines on November 10. As many as 10,000 people died as a result of the typhoon, and an estimated 660,000 Filipinos were displaced.
24 Survivors stand among the ruins of houses after Typhoon Haiyan battered the city of Tacloban in the Philippines on November 10. As many as 10,000 people died as a result of the typhoon, and an estimated 660,000 Filipinos were displaced.
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