Why Refugees and Migrants Are Moving West in the Cold and Rain

— -- Many refugees and migrants moving west across Europe faced difficult traveling conditions near Croatia today, huddled together in rainy weather and cold temperatures.

Here, a woman carrying a baby walked towards the border between Serbia and Croatia.

At the Croatia-Serbia border today, Croatia opened the border without any announcement, letting thousands rush in who had been stranded in the weather for nearly two days, a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said, according to the Associated Press.

About 2,000 to 3,000 migrants and refugees were huddled in the rain when the gates were opened, the AP said.

In this photo, as migrants tried to cross the border from Croatia to Slovenia, a child was lifted over a fence by Slovenian policemen.

Slovenian police had been sent to the border to stop an overwhelming number of people from pushing through.

After Hungary closed its border with Croatia, the travel path for refugees was redirected to Slovenia, a much slower route. Slovenia, which says it can handle 2,500 people a day, criticized Croatia for sending large herds of people to the small country

The Associated Press contributed to this report.