Interfax: No shortages of snow likely at Winter Olympics – expert

MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax) – No shortages of snow are likely in Sochi, said Roman Vilfand, chief of the weather monitoring service, Hydrometcentre.

“The snow is thick and firm enough. No problems are likely to arise with the snow, at least through the first 20 days of February,” Vilfand said.

Vilfand’s deputy in charge of hydrometeorological support for the Games, Valery Lukyanov, said there is enough snow on ski jumps to hold competitions.

“Snow cannons produce additional snow in freezing temperatures. There is also a snow canon which can make snow in temperatures just above zero and fill some occasional shortages,” he said.

“The average temperature typical of February is plus 1 degree Celsius in Krasnaya Polyana. The temperature is two or three degrees below the climatic standard now,” Lukyanov said.

In the ten days to follow temperatures “will probably climb above the climatic standard,” he said.

“But we gained an experience of holding sport competitions last winter, when temperatures were five degrees above the climatic norm. Sometimes the temperature would rise to ten degrees above zero,” he said.