2018 started off with crazy weather phenomenons occurring across the globe that aren’t going away any time soon. The World Economic Forum has recently released their Global Risks Report that states their educated predictions on the economical risks we need to watch out for in the upcoming year. In this year’s report, they made a chilling statement: “Extreme weather events are the most likely and most severe threat facing humanity in 2018″. Even after seeing last year’s temperatures break records and hurricanes flooding unsuspecting cities, experts are thinking that this year still has more serious weather events to come.

Just two months into the year, the weather is already becoming a worldwide risk. In mid January, parts of Russia were experiencing -88 degrees Fahrenheit! In Yakutia (near Moscow), they are used to temperatures that almost break their thermometers; however, this is shocking to people who have never even seen snow. Russians got plenty of attention after posting selfies of their frozen eyelashes, and showing of the several feet of snow surrounding their cars. Unfortunately, two men have already died from exposure to the cold.

In PyeongChang, South Korea, the severe cold is causing chaos at the Olympic Games. Not only are the low temperatures annoying, but the extreme gusts of wind (that sometimes pass 50 mph) affect the athletes as they compete. Multiple events have been postponed, snowboarders were easily blown around while performing their stunts over twenty feet in the air. Also, fog and snow do not help when you are skiing 80 mph down a mountain.

Clearly, the cold has definitely been an issue around the world so far this year, but there are much more risks we will face in 2018. It is important to prepare yourself as much as possible, and to help those who are being affected by the weather in any way possible.