Ice sculptures constructed for the celebration of Orthodox Epiphany stand on the Lena river, outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, on Jan. 17. The coldest temperatures in the northern hemisphere have been recorded in Sakha, in the Oymyakon valley, where, according to the United Kingdom Met Office, a temperature of -90 degrees Fahrenheit was registered in 1933 - the coldest on record in the northern hemisphere since the beginning of the 20th century. Yet despite the harsh climate, people live in the valley, and the area is equipped with schools, a post office, a bank and even an airport runway.

Ruslan, 35, loads blocks of ice onto a truck outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, on Jan. 17.

A man takes a drink in the cabin of his truck in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyol in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia on Jan. 19.

The roof of a house is covered with snow in the village of Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, on Jan. 24.

A girl poses in the village of Oymyakon, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, on Jan. 26.

Sergei Burtsev, 41, a meteorologist, prepares to launch a weather balloon in the village of Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, on Jan. 30.

A car drives through the snow at night near Vostochnaya meteorological station in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, on Jan. 20.

Firefighters spray down hot spots on an ice covered warehouse that caught fire Tuesday night in Chicago on Jan. 23. Fire department officials said it is the biggest fire the department has had to battle in years and one-third of all Chicago firefighters were on the scene at one point or another trying to put out the flames.

A truck is covered in ice as firefighters help to extinguish a massive blaze at a vacant warehouse on Jan. 23 in Chicago, Ill.

A firefighter helps to extinguish a massive blaze at a vacant warehouse on Jan. 23 in Chicago, Ill. More than 200 firefighters battled a five-alarm fire as temperatures were in the single digits.

Firefighters work to extinguish a massive blaze at a vacant warehouse on Jan. 23 in Chicago.

A burqa-clad Afghan woman makes her way as snow falls in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Dec. 27.

Internally displaced Afghan women from Helmand province wait to receive winter supplies from the UNHCR at the Charhi Qambar refugee camp on the outskirts of Kabul on Dec. 27. Since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban, 3.8 million refugees have returned, leaving 1.6 million behind, most born and brought up in Pakistan. In late October, UNHCR boosted incentives for Afghans to return and around 10,000 Afghans went home from Oct. 23 to Nov. 30 -- more than double the number who were repatriated in the same period last year.

Afghans warm themselves at their shop in Kabul on Dec. 27. Temperatures dropped to 34 Fahrenheit in Kabul.

Afghan displaced families receive winter goods distributed by the UNHCR on outskirts of Kabul Dec. 27.

An Afghan girl walks past a burning tire, which was set on fire by residents to warm themselves, along a street on a snowy day in Kabul on Dec. 27.

Afghan men walk past snow-covered trees in Kabul on Dec. 27.

A Chinese winter swimmer washes himself after finishing a swim in the freezing waters of the Song Hua River in Harbin City, Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, on Dec. 17. More than 500 winter swimmer belonging to a local winter swimming association are carrying out their winter swimming exercise everyday while the outside temperature is about minus four degrees Fahrenheit. The swimmers believe the exercise is good for their health.

Chinese winter swimmer prepare to swim in the freezing waters of the Song Hua River in Harbin City, Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, on Dec. 17.

A Chinese man swims in the freezing waters of the Song Hua River in Harbin City, Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, on Dec. 17.

Chinese winter swimmer Gong Shulin finishes a swim in the freezing waters of the Song Hua River in Harbin city, Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, on Dec. 17.

A snow-covered farm house, on March 5, 2012 in Armentieres, northern France, after heavy snow-falls which disturbed the traffic around Lille.

A snowed-in car is seen in the woods north of Umea in northern Sweden, Feb. 18. A middle-aged Swedish man was found alive in the car on Friday after sitting in it for the past two months, with only ice and snow to keep him alive, according to local police.

A man surfs on the wave on the small man-made river Eisbach with snow and temperatures around freazing in the English Gardens in Munich, Germany on Thursday. The standing wave in the Eisbach is a favorite spot for daring water sports enthousiast the whole year round. 

A wider view of the wave on the small man-made river Eisbach.

People walk on the frozen outer Alster lake on a freezing cold day in Hamburg, Germany, Feb. 12. For the first time in 15 years, thousands of people took to the frozen artificial lake to celebrate winter, after local authorities granted permission for festivities to take place on the frozen surface. The worst February cold spell Europe has seen in decades may last until the end of the month, leading meteorologists said.

'Winter Scene on a Frozen Canal' c. 1620, oil on panel. Avercamp based his figures on studies he made from life; he then replicated and recombined them in different ways in his paintings. The woman wearing a mask in the foreground at right reappears in 'Skaters and Tents along the Ice'.

A young girl walks in front of a tent, in which she has lived since last year's earthquake, in Van on Friday. A powerful quake shook the Van province, on October 23, 2011, killing more than 600 people and injuring around 2,600. It was followed on November 12 by a 5.6 magnitude tremor that killed another 40 people in the same area.

A man climbs on snow as he gets out from a small cottage in the village of Varasti village, 100km east from Bucharest, on Friday. The death toll caused by the Siberian cold wave continued to widen Friday in Romania, to 57 deaths, said the Ministry of Health.Sixteen people died in the last 48 hours, thirteen in the night from Thursday to Friday, while nearly 150 have been treated for frostbite and hypothermia.Some 60,000 people were isolated in the east, their supplies of food and water being depleted, according to local authorities. Fifty communities were without electricity.

Romanian peasant woman Rodica, 41, shovels around one of her car buried in snow, in the affected village of Maineasa, 30 kilometers north-east from Bucharest, Romania, on Friday. Some 13 deaths were register in Romania due to severe hypothermia in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 57 since first cold wave hit the country on 27 January. Heavy snowfalls are expected over the weekend in eastern and south of Romania.

Japanese macaque monkeys huddle together to protect themselves against the cold weather at Awajishima Monkey Center on Feb. 10 in Sumoto, Hyogo, Japan. Severe winter weather has hit Japan with more heavy snow forecast today.

Japanese macaque monkeys huddle together to protect themselves against the cold weather at Awajishima Monkey Center on Feb. 10 in Sumoto, Hyogo, Japan. Severe winter weather has hit Japan with more heavy snow forecast today.