Mild weather for the Olympics. Accuweather was, well, pretty Accurate.

We've been hearing alot recently about the lack of snow in the Vancouver area and the impact this could have on the Olympics. Word out this week is that local skill hills like Cypress Mountain have shut down earlier than expected for just that reason. Temperatures have been hovering in the city at 9-11 degrees celcius on a daily basis mixed with heavey rain and at times flood warnings across much of the east coast of Vancouver Island.

I thought this was interesting, as I was going back through our notes, the concern has been lingering for quite some time according to Accuweather. They said as early as September, the Olympics in Vancouver from Feb. 12 to 28 could face a lack of snow and cold weather this winter, with a possibility that a dry and mild pattern will develop very near to or during the time of the Olympics. Well, less than 30 days away... and this is quickly becoming a reality.

"The typical barrage of winter storms that hit Seattle and Portland may not occur this winter, which would lead to below-normal precipitation," the forecast said.

The prognosis is gloomy on the east coast, as they were predicting the stormiest and coldest U.S. winter in recent years, especially in parts of the giant Northeast heating oil market. That much has held true.

"The areas that will be hit hardest this winter by cold, snowy weather will be from southern New England through the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic, including the Carolinas," Bastardi said in his report.

Bastardi expects the current El Nino will fade over the winter, which will drive down temperatures and increase storm activity in parts of the United States.

New York, Boston and Philadelphia could get up to 75 per cent of their total snowfall in two or three big storms, according to Bastardi’s forecast.

Areas from Washington D.C. to Charlotte — which have had little snowfall the past two winters — could receive above-normal levels this season.

El Nino, or "Christ child" in Spanish due to the phenomenon being noticed around Christmas off the coast of South America, is an abnormal warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that can wreak havoc on weather patterns.

(pictured:  Does this look like a picture taken from the land of the 2010 Winter Olympics? This could become a reality.  This photo was taken during the last El Nino year on the West Coast.  With current conditions persisting, we could be seeing this in mere weeks.)


AccuWeather.com’s call for a weakening El Nino came after Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said earlier on Wednesday that central and eastern Pacific Ocean temperatures are exceeding El Nino levels.

The report said the temperatures will remain at levels typical of an El Nino weather event until early 2010.

In addition to colder weather along the northern eastern seaboard, AccuWeather forecast cold weather for major cities in the South, including Atlanta and Charlotte.

The Interstate 20 corridor from Dallas to Atlanta will be a strike zone for ice and snow, given the storm track and proximity to cold air, Bastardi’s forecast said. The Midwest and central plains could get below-normal snowfall.


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