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Sochi will have enough snow for Olympics, Russian weatherman says

Russia Sochi Torch Relay

In this photo provided by Olympictorch2014.com torch bearer Mikhail Fateyev dogsleds with an Olympic torch on the embankment of the Tura River during the Olympic torch relay in Tyumen, western Siberia, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. The 65,000-kilometer (40,389 mile) Sochi torch relay, which started on Oct. 7, is the longest in Olympic history. The torch has traveled to the North Pole on a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker and has even been flown into space. (AP Photo/Olympictorch2014.com)

AP

The extra snow saved from last winter may not be needed during the Sochi Olympics due to high amounts of snow already and a favorable forecast for more.

“There’s normally no snow there in December, but it has snowed ahead of schedule,” said Roman Vilfand, director of the Russian Meteorological Office, according to Reuters. “There is high probability that there will be snow above Krasnaya Polyana [site of 2014 Olympic skiing events]. The situation is favorable for now.”

There is already reportedly a 20-inch layer of snow on the mountains above Sochi.

“For the snow cover this deep, this isn’t a problem,” Vilfand said, according to the AP.

The Olympics begin Feb. 6. Previously, a Russian state meteorologist predicted potential weather problems for the Paralympics, which begin March 6.

Organizers have stored 450,000 cubic meters of snow from last winter in case of a shortage.

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