For the most part, weather can be predicted based on what region it takes place. However, the weather lately has been quite unpredictable. From the unusual snow in the Sahara Desert to the great cold fronts hitting the Southeast; the weather recently has been anything but predictable. From what continues to show up on the news, this unusual type of weather seems to be taking place all over the world, and not just for us along the east coast.

Last year was full of countless natural disasters including wildfires, hurricanes, and freezing temperatures, all this alone just taking place in the U.S. With how this year has already begun, it doesn’t look like this unusual weather will be coming to a stop soon. While the West is currently overflowing with heavy rain, the East is still trying to recover from the substantial amounts of snow. The sudden and extreme amounts snow and cold that hit the East were labeled as “bomb cyclone” due to its rapid and intense strength. This bomb cyclone took over all of the east coasts even snowing in the most unexpected places, including Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

These states were not the only unusual areas to be hit by snowfall; the Sahara Desert recently experienced its third snow in forty years. The desert is probably the most unexpected place to receive snowfall due to being one of the hottest places on earth. However, unlike the rest of odd weather patterns currently taking area, this is not as rare as many believe. While the Sahara is known for its extremely hot temperatures, at night the desert can reach as low as 13 degrees Fahrenheit. So while snowfall is sporadic, it is not impossible, and only takes the right conditions at the right time to end up with this marvelous rarity.

Even though it seems that snow hits everyone, many places are going through a heatwave. NASA recently released an image that showed much of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia are experiencing abnormally hot weather. While most places have to worry about the safety of their civilians, Australia has another problem on their hand. Australia’s most vulnerable bat species is currently dying by the hundreds due to the extreme heat. A wildlife worker recently stated, “They have less heat tolerance, their brain just fries and they become incoherent.” Many volunteers are currently on days end to try and save as many bats as possible.

This past year was full of hard-hitting natural disasters costing around $306 billion in damage relief, topping the charts as one of the most expensive years. However according to recent research, while these catastrophes have been significant, there overall has been a decrease since previous years. The real question is will this unusual weather continue, and while the “snow bombs” and heat waves don’t appear to be over, only time will be able to tell what comes next.