Today's weather was marvelous. It was about 50F and sunny. It's getting a little scary that the Olympics are coming but the local ski hills haven't got their usual amount of snow. By the way, what we call a hill here would be referred to as a mountain in most places. As this is an El Niño year, it is to be expected.
I still have friends who are unaware of the typical winter weather in Metro-Vancouver. This part of Canada isn't completely dotted with igloos in the winter. In fact, it's rare to have more than a few days a year with snow on the ground here. Our climate, of course, is like that of Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. That means storms form in the middle of the Pacific. Then, each so-called Hawaiian Express blows directly into this area. It makes for a season of dark clouds and fairly warm rain.
Elevation is the key reason for having measurable snowfall here. Many of the upcoming indoor events will take place around town. For example, near the airport in Richmond, a mega-rink has been built. The official Opening Ceremonies will take place downtown in BC Place's domed stadium. These locations aren't much above sea level. Many venues will be at Whistler/Blackcomb resort though. The highest lift elevation there is nearly 7,500 feet. Those venues are about two hours away, up a newly renovated but still tricky highway. Lastly, some of the events take place on Grouse and Mt. Seymour too. They're what I called the local hills and have elevations between 4000 and 5000 feet. They are close to downtown and are a little short on expected snowfall. Some snow can be made and a lot was stockpiled for use during the Olympics period, so everything will probably be all right.