Related
Road to the Games
- NEWS: Vancouver's Road to the Games
- SPORTS: Athletes, events and results
- CALENDAR: Public concerts, sports, culture, and more
- MAP: Venues, pavilions, free events, transit and closures
- WEATHER: Live forecasts for Olympic venues.
- YOUR PHOTOS: Share photos of the Olympic torch relay
- THE HUB: Blog your Olympic tips and tribulations
Official events and updates
- Paralympic torch relay
- Paralympic Games
- Vancouver 2010 Winter Games
- Olympic torch relay interactive map
- 2010 Cultural Olympiad
- Live City Vancouver - Free concerts and pavilions
- City of Vancouver 2010
- Whistler 2010
- Richmond O-Zone 2010
- West Vancouver 2010
- WEB CAM: Robson square
- Surrey 2010 Celebration Site
- WEB CAM: Whistler Blackcomb Resort
Transportation
- TravelSmart 2010 - Olympic buses and transit
- TRAFFIC MAP: Translink alerts and updates
- CYCLING MAP: Olympic bike route planner
- TRANSIT MAP: Google's public transit route planner
- MAPS: Olympic road closures and venue plans
Twitter feed
Blossoms are starting to appear on cherry trees in Vancouver as the city basks in a record-long winter warm spell. (CBC)Residents of B.C.'s Lower Mainland often enjoy milder winters than most of the country, but it's been at least 114 years since the area has recorded so many warm mid-winter days in a row.
The 31-day period ending on Feb. 9 was a record-breaking mild spell, according to Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones.
'I don't think there's much we can do about it. I'm enjoying it.'—International Olympic Committee's Mark Adams
"If you look back at records dating to 1896, this is the warmest month of winter weather on record prior to the middle of February," Jones told CBC News Monday.
"It's been an absolutely phenomenal stretch of much warmer than normal weather," said Jones.
"It started on Jan. 1 and it hasn't let up and it's showing no signs of letting up and … it's going to remain warm through the next week or two."
Visitors are marveling at the weather as much as locals are.
"It's awesome," said Diane Johnson of Vegreville, Alta. "When I left a few days ago, we were at minus 12."
It's even been warmer than the state of Georgia, on a latitude more than 1,600 kilometers south of Vancouver.
"It was actually colder in Atlanta," said Sid Hopkins, of the Peach State. "We had snow in Atlanta Friday and Saturday, and up here it's nice and warm, shirt-sleeve weather."
No colder weather soon
Though pleasant for residents and newly arrived Olympic tourists, the unusually warm weather has played havoc with the Games' snowboarding and freestyle skiing venues at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver.
VANOC technicians scrambled to truck and fly in snow just prior to the Games and on Monday had to cancel about 8,000 spectator tickets because the area in which they'd be standing was too wet and unsafe.
Olympic officials are taking it in stride.
"This is an exceptional year of weather," said Mark Adams of the International Olympic Committee. "I don't think there's much we can do about it. I'm enjoying it. I hope you are, too."
Vancouver's indoor Olympic venues are unaffected by the weather and Games sites in Whistler have been much cooler than the city.
"We had the worst winter since the '60s last year; the hottest summer on record in 2009; and now the warmest month-long period of winter on record," said Jones.
He said the Lower Mainland would experience some cold mornings later in the week, but afternoon temperatures are going to climb even higher.
"We may see some 14s and 15s by the time we get to Friday and Saturday," said Jones.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Homicide follows Vancouver family argument
- One person is dead following an apparent family argument in a Vancouver home Tuesday, police say. more »
- Adults told B.C. teen had taken ecstasy
- A B.C. court has been told that two adults had been told a teenage B.C. girl later found dead had taken ecstasy before a party at the home of the woman charged in relation to the death. more »
- Tires slashed on more than 100 cars in Surrey
- At least 100 cars have had their tires slashed in a widespread vandalism spree in Surrey Tuesday, police say. more »
- B.C. Mountie drank to 'calm nerves' after fatal crash
- An off-duty RCMP officer involved in a deadly collision told a police officer he'd taken two shots of vodka after the crash to "calm his nerves," a B.C. court has heard - but his lawyer says the statement should be dissallowed. more »
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
- Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews
- A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Botox injected by unlicensed practitioners
- Tires slashed on more than 100 cars in Surrey
- B.C. Mountie drank to 'calm nerves' after fatal crash
- Homicide follows Vancouver family argument
- 1925 Vancouver mansion listed below lot value
- Adults told B.C. teen had taken ecstasy
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop
- Crown seeks up to 18 months for Stanley Cup rioter
