Mark Eubank, the newest contributor to the Deseret News and the chief meteorologist for the Salt Lake Winter Olympics, may have some good news for the Games.
It's still too early for a day-by-day detailed forecast for the Games, which run from Feb. 8-24. "But the long-range looks to us like February will be a normal kind of February, which is perfect for the athletes," he said.
Games organizers don't want another bitterly frigid cold snap, because spectators, athletes and officials would be uncomfortable. They also don't want any more snow, as plenty has fallen for all venues. "They have all they need, and any extra snow just has to be removed," Eubank said.
The normal February snowfall is about 10 inches in the valleys, with typical mountain snowfall ranging from about 19 inches at Soldier Hollow to 77 inches at the top of Snow Basin. Utah Olympic Park and Deer Valley Park should expect about 28 inches.
That's not too much snow for the Games' traffic, spectators and athletes.
On Friday, the Winter Olympics' opening day, he plans to make a prediction about weather during the event's duration. It may be a bit generic at that early date. The long-range forecast will be honed as the Games continue.