ESPN wrote a piece earlier in the month citing concerns from the International Olympic Committee about holding the Winter Olympics in February.
Milan and Cortina, Italy are the sites of 2026’s Games. Cortina was the host city in 1956.
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Since then, each city has seen a fair share of warming in the month of February.
This is according to a 2026 release by Climate Central.
Milan’s average February temperature have risen nearly 6° since 1956.
Cortina’s has risen by 6.4°.
There are 41 fewer freezing days, and snow depth has gone down by an average of six inches.
Cortina is roughly 6,000 feet above sea level. Even still, snow making needs to happen.
Nearly three million cubic yards of man-made snow have been produced to ensure the safety and success of sports like skiing and snowboarding.
We wrote about how snow can be made at ski resorts in Tuesday’s Ask the Meteorologist.
The average snow depth across all the Alps is down by 8.4%, according to a recent study.
This is important for the 2030 Games, too, since they’ll be held in the French Alps.
It’s not just Milan and Cortina, though.
Winter warming is a growing concern, according to a 2024 study.
This study shows that the current number of sites for the Games is 93. However, it suggests that number could go down to 52 by the 2050s.
Salt Lake City is the host of the 2034 Winter Olympics, and the city is in the midst of a historic snow drought.
Although the average snow per winter has gone down over the years, its 2025-2026 snow total is a dismal 0.1.”
Raleigh has seen way more than that.
In addition to concerns over winter sports, the city receives 95% of its water supply from snow pack.
In terms of changing the date of the Games, there are a lot of other considerations to be taken before the IOC can officially do that.
It remains to be seen if the Winter Olympics will continue to be held in February, or if they get brought back a month in the future.