Weather is a virtually uncontrollable factor in the success
of the Olympics in sprawling Sochi, where ice events will be
held on the subtropical Black Sea shore and mountain events on
the slopes around the Krasnaya Polyana district.
Unusually warm temperatures last winter prompted organizers of
Russia's first post-Soviet Olympics and first Winter Games to
store some 450,000 cubic meters (16 million cubic feet) of snow
in the mountains just in case.
The surplus snow may not be needed. There is now a 52-cm
(20-inch) layer of snow in Krasnaya Polyana, which is unusually
high for this time of year, Russian Hydrometcentre chief Roman
Vilfand told a news conference.
"There's normally no snow there in December, but it has snowed
ahead of schedule," Vilfand said. "There is high probability
that there will be snow above Krasnaya Polyana. The situation is
favorable for now."
He said rain could be a threat to the snow layer, but did not
elaborate on the probability.
Sochi Games chief Dmitry Chernyshenko has said previously that
the weather was seen as a bigger potential problem for the
organizers than security or infrastructure.
President Vladimir Putin has staked his personal political
prestige on a successful Games in a location where most of the
venues had to be built from scratch.
(Reporting by Polina Devitt, writing by Alexei Anishchuk.
editing by Patrick Johnston)
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