WINTER

A severe winter storm warning was issued for New York City on Tuesday forecasting snow accumulation is expected to total 6 to 12 inches.

As top athletes from around the world gear up for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, video gamers can also lace up the skates or strap on the snowboard in a trio of titles bringing winter sports to life.

Brutal winter weather across the much of the United States has helped rally commodity markets as energy demand rises, crops are hit with snow or frost and livestock movement is slowed.

Icy conditions have driven a surge in energy demand in heavily populated parts of the northern hemisphere but some countries are enjoying a relatively mild winter, data shows.

Eurostar trains between Britain and France resumed on Tuesday after three-days of cancellations because of heavy snow, but severe weather conditions continued to cause travel chaos in Britain.

You can be forgiven for thinking that winter has already begun - given the snow storms that hit US cities from Washington to Boston over the weekend- but actually, winter only officially begins on Monday with the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice occurs at 12:47 p.m. EST (1747 GMT) on Monday, which marks the beginning of winter for the Northern Hemisphere.

The weather is cooling down and many North Americans are grudgingly trading in their teeny two-piece for a wool coat and gloves-but just because the seasons are changing doesn't mean there is

Pregnant women and other people at high risk should be vaccinated against the H1N1 swine fluvirus as the cold weather begins to bite in the northern hemisphere, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Most visitors come to Tokyo, Japan for the springtime blossoms or the fall colors, but winter in Tokyo can be a special, as well as a cheaper time to visit.

One of the critical factors energy analysts focus on each fall, ahead of the rise in demand for heating fuels, is the pre-winter build-up of fuel inventories. This year, inventories are unusually high for all winter fuels, including distillates (which includes heating oil), natural gas, propane, and coal used for electricity generation.

U.S. airlines have slashed capacity, and recession-battered demand is showing signs of returning, but carriers like Southwest Airlines may scramble to fill planes this winter with big fare discounts, a fare expert said on Tuesday.

Europe's biggest airline, Air France-KLM, plans to reduce seating capacity on its flights by 2 percent during the winter season to lessen the impact of falling demand.

The United Nations is confident Afghanistan's election can be resolved before winter, with ballots already being printed to hold a second round if a fraud investigation makes that necessary, a spokesman said on Sunday.

For many, winter is not always a wonderland. As skies gray and temperatures drop, moods often drift into doldrums.

Weak prices and sagging demand could see gas supply most of Britain's electricity well into winter, sidelining coal plants and cutting Britain's carbon emissions as a welcome side effect.

Areas in the upper Midwest experienced temperatures of minus 10 as yet another snowstorm appears to be fast approaching, causing schools to close and killing one man.

A snowstorm that blanketed parts of the Midwestern United States barreled into New England on Sunday, bringing snow, freezing rain and high winds that grounded flights and made driving treacherous.

An idea to put a young ad agency worker in a Snow Globe and film it live as an eco-friendly digital holiday card has quickly turned into a buzz-worthy Internet phenomenon and set a world record.

Oil prices jumped on Wednesday as expectations for tighter fuel inventories surfaced as the Norther Hemisphere moves into the winter season.

The U.S. energy industry has sharply reduced its production of heating oil in favor of cleaner, higher-profit fuels like diesel -- a move that could see the nation relying more heavily on imports next winter heating season, analysts said Wednesday.