Brutal winter weather is making dire conditions even more unbearable in parts of the Middle East, especially for Syrian refugees who must endure frigid temperatures in tents, CNN reported.

The coldest air of the season is moving in behind a heavy snowstorm that has blanketed refugee camps in Turkey and Lebanon.

And inside Syria, residents in cities pummeled by warfare are taking drastic measures to stay warm and alive through the winter.

In a video posted online, three men and two children are burning pages of schoolbooks to stay warm in the besieged city of Rastan.

Temperatures are running about 5 to 10 degrees Celsius (9 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit) below average for this time of year across Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.