The 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, has the dubious distinction of being the coldest Olympics on record, with temperatures dipping to a low of -11 degrees Celsius (12.2 degrees Fahrenheit) during those games. However, the Korean Meteorological Administration says that average February temperatures in Pyeongchang typically hover around 0 degrees Celsius during the day, and around -10 degrees Celsius at night. The city is located in one of South Korea's coldest regions, and is the coldest location on Earth for its latitude -- so records may be broken.
Striving for gold in the cold:
- Athletes and spectators should expect Siberian winds to blow through the Olympic sites in the Taebaek Mountains, which are located about 50 miles (80.5 km) from the North Korean border.
- Because it’s so cold, major snowstorms are a rarity, with an average snowfall in February 2017 of approximately 2.5 inches (6.3 cm). More than 250 snow guns will pick up the slack.
- Icy conditions are expected to make the slalom and snowboard events dicey, leaving competitors searching for an edge to make turns. Ice is good, however, for downhill and super-G skiers.