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.