In the Philippines, the death toll continued to rise this week. Over 300,000 people lost their homes, according to the Associated Press. Philippines Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said, "It's not only an environmental issue, it's also a poverty issue."
Three people were killed this week as a destructive tornado hit New Zealand's largest city. The twister, which hit the western suburbs of Auckland, was reportedly the worst to hit the country in over six decades.
The U.S. Midwest has been experiencing unusual weather of a different variety this season. As of this week, cities like Des Moines, Omaha, Milwaukee and Chicago had either broken, or were only days away from breaking, their records for consecutive days without measurable snowfall. National Weather Service officials explained that the ongoing drought is to blame for the lack of snow sticking to the ground.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the National Hurricane Center has revised its policies for issuing hurricane warnings. According to AccuWeather, "Beginning in 2013, the NHC will have the flexibility to issue multiple advisories on post-tropical cyclones for landfalling systems or close bypassers." The NHC will also begin differentiating between wind hazards and storm surge hazards.
Below, find images of extreme weather from around the world this week:
