Many countries are suffering unusually freezing weather this winter. Some scientists say this could signal the return of the "little ice age".

Cars, trucks and buses seen in the city's snow-blanketed financial and commercial Levent district in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012.

Nearly 80 people have died from a vicious cold snap in Europe, and parts of Asia have been blanketed with snow. This January has been the ninth snowiest since 1966 for Europe and Asia, though for the entire northern hemisphere, it’s been about average.

The weather is so cold that some areas of the Black Sea have frozen, and rare snowfalls have occurred on islands in the Adriatic Sea. Ukraine alone has reported about 43 fatalities, many of the victims homeless people found dead on streets.

In the US, Valdez, Alaska, has had more than 8 meters of snow this season which is about 3 meters above average - and the coldest region hit a record 66 degrees below zero centigrade over the weekend.

Some scientists expect winters to continue getting colder as the sun returns to the low levels of activity seen at the end of the 17th century - also known as the little ice age.