Heavy snow blanketed parts of Europe between 2-9 January, and Austria was hit particularly hard with towns and villages completely buried. The record amount of snow brought parts of the country to a standstill, with buildings collapsing and roads blocked by the severe snowfall. Dozens were left stranded and at least 12 people died in Austria and Germany from snow-related incidents.

This pretty picture captured a perfect double rainbow that appeared at sunset over Pocitos Beach in Montevideo, Uruguay in January. Although more common than you might expect, witnessing a duo for yourself is quite rare. Double rainbows happen when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop, but the second one is always more faint than the first. A phenomenon nevertheless!

Also in January, strong winds and heavy snowfall froze the Liptau region of northern Slovakia. Electricity was cut, leaving around 15,000 homes without power and snow on roads caused major traffic accidents. This image captures one family bravely facing the storm to visit a museum close to the village of Pribylina.

Chicago transformed into an icy wasteland when a polar vortex froze the city in January. The cold snap claimed at least 21 lives as record-breaking freezing temperatures chilled the Midwest. More than a thousand flights were cancelled due to the cold conditions with temperatures in the Great Lakes area dropping to almost -53°C (-63°F). The icy weather lasted until mid-March when temperatures finally rose and melted ice flooded the streets.

For more snowstorms, check out the worst in US history

It wasn’t just the Midwest that the polar vortex affected, as the icy winds moved east, Canada was also hit with a freeze. Deadly blizzards struck parts of the country including northern regions of Ontario and Quebec, with freezing wind temperatures dipping to -50°C (-58°F).

On 3 March, the US’ southeastern states including Alabama and Florida were hit by 41 devastating tornadoes. Alabama was hit by at least two tornadoes causing catastrophic damage across the state. The terrifying twisters killed at least 23 people, injured 100, uprooted trees, destroyed homes and buildings and obliterated roads.

Discover the most extreme weather in every state

Cyclone Idai struck the Mozambique coastline on 14 March, causing destruction and devastation. The deadly cyclone killed hundreds as it ripped across Mozambique and Zimbabwe, sparking winds and flash floods which washed away houses and roads. The UN reports that roughly 1.7 million people lived in the cyclone’s path which lasted a week and left thousands homeless.

During a thunderstorm on 5 April, lightning struck the Liberation Tower in Kuwait City, creating this incredible and dramatic image.

Heavy rainfall and storms swept over Pakistan in mid-April, claiming the lives of 39 people and injuring at least 135. This image captures people visiting the historic Badshahi mosque, that's shrouded in dark rain clouds, to pray despite the heavy downpour which flooded homes and caused power cuts.

Flash floods and torrential rain struck South Africa’s port in Durban during Easter weekend, wrecking homes and settlements throughout the area. Landslides and flooding left dozens dead and hundreds displaced from severe damages which heavily polluted the city.

An eerie fog rolled into Turin, northern Italy on 23 April, blanketing the historic Basilica of Superga. The fog hit just before the 70th anniversary of the Superga air disaster which claimed 31 lives on 4 May 1949, including the city's entire Grande Torino football team, after their plane crashed into the back of the Basilica.

Weeks of excessive rainfall caused Paraguay River to overflow from the end of April and throughout May, killing at least 16 people and displacing tens of thousands from their homes. The river’s water levels reached a staggering 22.7 feet (6.92m) when its normal level is just 13.1 feet (4m).

Gandhinagar, Gujarat's capital, had the opposite problem to Paraguay when dry heat sparked a severe drought in May. The huge heatwave has caused a major water crisis throughout the region, with farmers still struggling with the lack of water.

San Jose in Costa Rica was also hit with a dry spell when the lake in La Sabana Metropolitan Park completely dried up in mid-May. The drying heat was triggered by the El Niño phenomenon, the unusual warming of the surface of the Eastern equator’s Pacific Ocean waters.

It looked like major skyscrapers had disappeared when a wave of fog covered the coastal city of Netanya in Israel in May. Temperatures rose causing fog to blanket buildings and roads.

Colourful umbrella carriers dominate as heavy rain halts a game during the 2019 Cricket World Cup between India and Pakistan at Old Trafford in Manchester. 

Lightning strikes Port-au-Prince during an electrical storm on 25 June, which caused the lavender flash to spectacularly light up the night sky.

Heavy hail rained down on Guadalajara in Mexico on 1 July, with the ice blanket up to five feet (1.5m) thick. The freak hailstorm which saw temperatures dip suddenly from 22°C to 14°C (72°F to 57°F) between around 1.50am and 2.10am local time but luckily caused no reported deaths or injuries.

Disaster struck on 13 July when a huge earthquake rocked Cantilan on Mindanao’s northeast coast in the Philippines. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake sent terrified residents running from their homes and injured at least 51 people.

On 16 July, this group of Indian women walked through a dust storm at the Sangam, which is the confluence of the rivers Yamuna, Ganges and Saraswati in Allahabad, northern India. They can barely see what's in front of them thanks to the (often deadly) dust storms that frequent this area.

Wildfires in Macao, central Portugal on 20 July forced dozens of villagers to evacuate. With deadly temperatures reaching over 38°C (100°F), nearly 2,000 firefighters were called in to try and tackle the insane blaze. The deadly heat scorched forests and nearby villages, leaving an ashy trail of destruction which lasted around three days.

A heatwave blasted into northern Europe in July, setting temperatures to an all-time high. France’s River Loire dried up and officials reported that at least 1,500 people died from the sweltering heat which lasted most of the month.

This year’s monsoons in India have brought the largest amount of rainfall the country’s seen in decades. The unusually intense rainy season has been one of the deadliest – more than 1,600 people have died from flood-related incidents. Over a million people were left homeless from the severe conditions as homes, roads and bridges were heavily waterlogged and floods throughout the region still continue.

Myanmar was also hit by harsh floods this year. Heavy monsoon rain in mid-August submerged buildings, causing huge landslides which forced tens of thousands to flee their homes for safety.

Wildfires also set parts of the Amazon Rainforest ablaze during August. In Brazil’s Candeias do Jamari region, huge amounts of forest were torched for weeks and the land was irreversibly damaged. The chaotic fires are believed to have been caused by farmers starting illegal forest fires for land combined with the dry climate of the region.

Explore the world's most endangered rainforests

Heavy rainfall continued to swamp Pakistan's busy port city of Karachi during September. The excessive water overwhelmed the area's already struggling drainage system, clogging the streets with waste and water, causing flies to swarm the city.

Hurricane Dorian, the record-breaking tropical cyclone, hit the Abaco islands in the Bahamas between 1-3 September. The deadly hurricane killed at least 56 people as entire shanty towns and essential infrastructure were completely destroyed. Dorian is estimated to have affected at least 75,000 people.

Now read about the incredible places destroyed by the weather

Also in early September, a bolt of lightning struck Panama’s capital, Panama City. The fluorescent flash was caught by the photographer as it lit up the sky in pink.

Central Albania was shook by two colossal earthquakes which struck the Adriatic coastline on 21 September. The earthquakes triggered city-wide power cuts in Tirana and buildings to collapse, with Albania’s Defense Ministry calling it “the strongest earthquake in the country in the last 20 to 30 years”. Thankfully, no one was killed but dozens were injured.

Typhoon Hagibis wreaked havoc in Japan in October and was the largest storm to hit the region in decades. The typhoon stormed Japan's coastline on 12 October with winds up to 144 kph, killing at least 35 people and triggering deadly floods and landslides to sweep over the region. The deadly typhoon finally died down on 20 October.

A number of mysterious monster tornadoes struck Dallas, Texas on 20 October, knocking out power lines and flattening buildings in its path. Roofs were blown away and trees snapped in half as the destructive tornado caused extensive damage across the city's northern region. Although no fatalities were reported in Dallas, one man was killed by a falling tree as the storm moved towards Benton County in northwest Arkansas. 

For more of America's tornadoes check out the US states you're most and least likely to see them

A more light-hearted image shows a car driving along a road near the village of Martkopi in Georgia, lined with pretty autumn-coloured trees. As the weather turns cooler and sunlight wanes in late summer, leaves stop making food resulting in the loss of green pigment. Chemical changes occur to reveal reds and golds – not to mention spectacular scenes like this one.

For more aerial weather shots, check out jaw-dropping images of the world's weather taken from the skies

More impressive lightning sees the Bangkok skyline illuminated as it struck buildings during a thunderstorm in October.

Wildfires are sadly affecting California once again as flames have been engulfing the state since 23 October, exacerbated by both the Santa Ana and Diablo winds. Thousands in Sonoma County and the surrounding areas have already been evacuated from the extent of the blaze and thousands are without power. The violent Kincade Fire has already destroyed 76,000 acres and nearly 200 homes and buildings and continues to rage on.

Up next, the beautiful and terrifying power of Mother Nature in 29 photographs