Current Google Insights trends: cold, snowy conditions increase searches for 'weather forecast'

(AFP/FRED DUFOUR)

Northwestern European countries are experiencing a wave of cold weather with snow falling in many metropolitan centers in countries like France, UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

Searches for weather-related terms, "meteo France," (France's weather service) and "meteo" (French for "weather forecast") and "hava durumu" (Turkish for "weather") have experienced a growth spurt over the last seven days as people search to find out what conditions they can expect in their area.

James Cameron's 3D film Avatar continues to make its way up the list of growing search terms on the morning of December 18.

The blockbuster has opened in many countries across the world and is receiving rave reviews for its incredible use of science-fiction-based 3D visuals.

The search terms with the most significant growth worldwide in the last seven days as measured by Google Insights, recorded on December 18 at 9:30 AM GMT are:

1. meteo france (+140%) (French for "weather forecast in France")
2. meteo (+80%) (French for "weather forecast")
3. avatar (+80%)
4. el tiempo (+50%)
5. hava durumu (+40%) (Turkish for "Weather")