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Low temperatures in Switzerland helped freeze Lake Geneva in early February. Rita Rautenbach got this amazing shot at the time. "'During the night and the day before, we had extreme temperatures where it got so cold that the spray made waves on the lake. As it sprays up it turns into ice immediately. It became layer on layer on layer. It became thick blocks of ice on the bench, on the cars."

Hospital rooms were completely destroyed after a tornado hit Carbondale, Illinois in February. Jane Harper, a nurse there, took this photo after moving patients out of harm's way. She went to check one of the patient rooms, and found that the room was no longer there.

A lightning storm lit up the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, California in April. Phil McGrew shot 20-second exposures for 90 minutes in order to get shots like this.

Severe flooding in Duluth, Minnesota, in June destroyed roads and left neighborhoods underwater. "We have not experienced anything like this in our community," said photographer and healthcare preparedness coordinator Kayla Keigley. "Roads are destroyed. Neighborhoods are underwater. I am in shock and I work in the field of preparedness - this is something I work to deal with daily. Our community is in disbelief."

A stranded seal sat on a Duluth, Minnesota, roadway after it was washed out of the Lake Superior Zoo during the June flooding. This image, shot by Ellie Burcar - who discovered the seal - went viral. Authorities soon arrived and the seal survived the ordeal.

June's High Park fire, caused by extreme drought conditions, could be seen from the Horsetooth Reservoir in Larimer County, Colorado. "Climbing to this vantage point afforded me the opportunity to capture the fire crew on film at eye level as they flew by, and to look down into the heliport," said Bryan Maltais. "I could also also photograph the unique atmospheric conditions that the fire created."

An avalanche tumbled down the surrounding mountains of the Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal in June. After hiking for more than a week in the Himalayas, J. Grant Trammell decided to shoot some photos from the safety of base camp. "It was a magically clear and still morning. I awoke just at 4 a.m. I made my way to a vantage point just above the Annapurna Base Camp and shot images for almost five hours."

Wildfires burning in the foothills of the Colorado Springs mountains blanketed a nearby neighborhood with pitch-black smoke in June. "We ran outside and saw the side of the foothills getting engulfed by flames coming down on either sides of the quarry," said photographer Michael Kennedy. "Our subdivision quickly deteriorated into a war zone with police cars coming into the neighborhood with loud speakers announcing 'leave the area, under mandatory evacuation.'"

A massive haboob, or dust storm, overtook Phoenix, Arizona in July, and Andrew Pielage knew he had to get it on camera. Racing up a mountain that was nearby, he skipped the official trail to get a better view and was able to capture it from a very unique angle. "I had made it just in time. You really get a good and scary sense of the size and magnitude of these types of storms. It will be a photograph I will never forget."

Searing temperatures and high humidity brought a heat wave to Toronto, Canada, in July. "These past days have been brutal with the heat, the humidity. Tempers are short, electricity system is straining but not buckling... yet," photographer David Bradley told us at the time.

Skies darkened over New York City as a storm moved into the area in July. "The storm was pretty mild, but seeing it come through was amazing," said photographer Jenna Bascom at the time. "Gorgeous clouds, great light."

A historic drought in Terre Haute, Indiana, dried up a lake at the Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area, killing the fish living in it back in July. At the time, photographer Michael Gerringer said, "This lake attracts an impressive variety of birds and other wildlife, but when I walked out into the lake bed the only bird species I saw were a pair of turkey vultures overhead and a few red-headed Woodpeckers."

Hurricane Isaac brought flooding to the streets of Fort Pierce, Florida in August. Trish Powers described the water as "waist deep" at times. See more Isaac images here.

Many homes like this one collapsed in New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac hit in August. Eileen Romero was completely shocked when she came upon the scene only a block away from her home in New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood.

Dramatic flooding hit low-lying parts of Manila, Philippines, in August after continuous rainfall. Grant Orbeta captured stunning images like this one.

Fuego Volcano spewed ash into the air in Antigua, Guatemala, shortly after it erupted in September. Photographer Jennifer Rowe said, "People who have lived here for more than 20 years have told me this is the biggest eruption they've ever seen."

Rare cloud formations, called mammatus, were spotted in La Crosse, Wisconsin in September. The name "mammatus" comes from the Latin word manna, or breast. "After the storms rumbled through, I saw a yellow orange glow out the window," said Jim Jorstad. "I then grabbed my camera, began driving several miles up the hill, stopping to take photos along the way."

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic faced large-scale flooding as it was hit with Hurricane Sandy prior to the U.S. in October. Misael Rincon shot images of the superstorm and other hurricanes in 2012.

A fleet of taxi cabs sat submerged in a flooded parking lot in Hoboken, New Jersey, after Superstorm Sandy hit the area in October. Photographer Jonathan Otto said, "The picture was taken from the 14th street viaduct looking over the corner of Jefferson and 14th street, where it appears New York stores new cabs."

A house in Union Beach, New Jersey, was left standing despite being ripped apart from the winds of Superstorm Sandy in October. While photographing the area, Clifford Rumpf said each photo taken of the ravaged neighborhood was more shocking than the next. See more Sandy images here.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia was hit with a torrential downpour of rain in October, causing flash flooding. Jim Heston was in awe of the fact that his camera was able to capture falling rain as well as it did.

A nor'easter blew through Manhattan in November just after the area was hit by Superstorm Sandy, but a number of New Yorkers continued with business as usual. "I immediately rushed outside with my camera to capture some images, and, as the snowfall got heavier, I ended up walking from Upper East Side, down Fifth Avenue, to Times Square, taking snapshots of the snow bearing down on people and blanketing the streets," said Edgar Alan Zeta Yap.

A December winter storm brought much needed moisture to drought-stricken Wisconsin. Jim Jorstad said, "The photos were stunning to capture. I drove up in the rural area of Chaseburg, Wisconsin. Some of the photos...were taken in and around some Amish communities nearby."

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Winter weather conditions are affecting parts of the United States. Send your photos and videos to CNN iReport, but please remember to stay safe.

(CNN) -- CNN iReporters documented some of the biggest global weather stories of the year, and captured some amazing photos in the process. Click through the gallery above to see some of their most compelling photographs of 2012.

And if you're wondering how you might be able to capture images like this, it just so happens that CNN meteorologists Brandon Miller and Judson Jones recently joined the CNN iReport community on Facebook for a discussion on that very topic. Read their top 13 weather photography tips:

1. Timing is everything. When it comes to weather photography on iReport, timing is everything, according to Miller. Oftentimes people will submit great weather images, "but it's a day or two after the event. By then we have moved on to new stories," he said.

2. Give lightning photos visual context. Lightning photos tend to be a common subject in weather photographs, and Miller says at times they start to look similar. "What makes a lightning photo unique is what else is in the picture. [Like] an iconic building for instance, or a harbor in Hong Kong," he said.

Best weather photos of 2012

But why does a building matter in a weather photo anyway? Miller says things like a building or a harbor add to the overall context of the photograph. "It makes it easier to tell the story on TV, and relates it to the viewer."

3. Capture drought through texture. The Midwest suffered a prolonged drought that not only stunted the growth of crops like corn and wheat, but dried out essential bodies of water, bringing parts of the Mississippi River to extremely low levels. Despite the visible signs of drought, it can be one of the hardest things to capture through photography, Jones said.

The best way to convey drought is by capturing the texture, like photographing a dried up lakebed. "Most people never see the bottom of a lake," he said. "[It] puts the whole drought into perspective."

4. Use wide angle shots. When it comes to capturing weather, it is important to see the whole picture. Miller suggests using wide angle shots to help put the photograph in context. "Show more of the sky and not necessarily focus on what you think is important, like zooming in on a funnel cloud and ignoring the rest of the storm," he said.

5. Take multiple photographs. That epic weather moment can happen literally in a flash. If you want to increase your likelihood of capturing a great weather shot, you have to shoot multiple photographs, according to Jones. "You never want to shoot only one photo," he said.

6. Move around. As quickly as weather changes, it also moves. Standing in one location may not be the best method when it comes to capturing a weather photograph. "Move around and get a little bit of a different perspective," Jones said. Adding more perspective gives your photographs more depth and context, he explains.

7. No filters, ever. A slight change in saturation, a little color boost or Instagram-type filter on a weather photograph can totally change its meaning. Miller says to avoid adding filters when capturing weather photographs.

8. Edit with darkroom tricks only. Here is Jones' rule of thumb for editing weather photographs: "Only do in post-production what you could have done in a darkroom," he said.

"Simple contrast, exposure, cropping and white balance are all you really should ever do, unless you are working on something for an art exhibit."

9. Patience is key. Weather is dynamic, but sometimes the shot you are looking for might not happen right away. Patience is fundamental, according to Jones, who also suggests using a remote camera set-up prior to a weather event. After setting up your camera, Jones says it's all about waiting. "Be patient. It may take awhile, but eventually you will get the strike you are looking for."

10. Monitor storm events. If you want to capture weather photographs, Miller suggests monitoring the National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center. "They will provide accurate forecasts one to three days out for tornadoes, wind, hail, etc.," he said.

11. Don't just hold hail. Hail is a big weather event, and happens in many parts of the world. It's common for people to photograph images of themselves holding up pieces of hail, but those images don't place the storm in context. Jones says hail is great to photograph when it is in perspective of the people it is affecting. He suggests photographing hail if it damages crops or breaks windshields, for example.

12. Time-lapse away. Time-lapses are a bit trickier to create, but they are a great way of capturing the whole storm, according to Miller. "We love time-lapses," he said. "It allows us to show an entire storm unfold in a few seconds."

He says the best events in which to use time-lapse photography are snowstorms or a hurricane's passage.

13. Stay safe. Weather is dangerous, and when it comes to photographing it, Jones says it's important to be cognizant of general weather safety. "Know your surroundings and the safest place to be," he said.

Sometimes you don't even need to be out in the storm to capture that perfect shot. Jones suggests using a camera with a remote timer. "I put my camera -- with a manual setting -- on a tripod... set the aperture... and focus on infinity or an object I want to be the center of [my] story," he said.

Now get out there and put those tips to work! You can share your images in our severe weather or winter weather assignment.