No hurricanes, record-breaking typhooons, or new islands this week; Mother Nature might be taking a holiday. In Europe, people continued to grapple with the aftermath of winter strom Xaver, while the Philippines is still -- one month later -- digging out from Typhoon Haiyan. Palestinians got a rainbow; South Africans a double rainbow. But the biggest news came from the Middle East, where a powerful storm dumped inches of snow on regions that hadn't seen any in decades. In Egypt, local news outlets said Cairo was seeing its first snowfall in 112 years. Break out the 20th-century sleds!
Pedestrians cross the Millennium Footbridge in front of St Paul's Cathedral that is shrouded in fog in London, on December 11, 2013. Flight delays and some cancellations were reported from London's Heathrow and City airports as a result of early morning fog Wednesday. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SORABJI
People walk during snowfall caused by hurricane-force Xaver at Old Town in Gdansk, northern Poland, December 6, 2013. REUTERS/Renata Dabrowska/Agencja Gazeta
Snow covers the scene in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, some 400 kms south-east of Cairo on December 13, 2013. AFP/Getty Images
"A typhoon survivor walks past damaged trees at typhoon-ravaged Tolosa town, Leyte province, central Philippines, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. One month after Typhoon Haiyan, signs of progress in this shattered
Philippine city are mixed with reminders of the scale of the disaster and the challenges ahead. Tens of thousands are living amid the ruins of their former lives, underneath shelters made from scavenged materials
and handouts.AP Photo/Aaron Favila
A bus tries to cross the Professor Eurico Rabelo street in front the Maracana stadium after heavy rains flooded the area on December 11, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Buda Mendes/Getty Images
A huge wave crashes against the sea defense wall of a restaurant, at the Beirut corniche, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. Lebanon is under the effects of a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, that dropped torrential rain and
snow and pushed temperatures below freezing. AP Photo/Hussein Malla
Palestinian children look at a rainbow shining over buildings after heavy rain poured in Gaza City, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. The weather in Gaza dropped to 6 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) with heavy
rain showers and cloudy skies. AP Photo/Hatem Moussa
The Shanghai Tower under construction, left, is seen with other skyscrapers, Jinmao Tower, center, and Shanghai World Financial Center, right, in the haze in Shanghai, China, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
A boat on the River Thames passes the Houses of Parliament, in heavy fog in central London December 11, 2013. REUTERS/Olivia Harris