Weather causes delays at Canada Winter Games as athletes adapt to warming climate

The East Coast's whipsaw shifts between freeze and thaw has complicated life for the Canada Winter Games, as athletes and organizers adapt to what climate scientists say is the new reality of less snow.

Jean-Philippe Le Guellec, the information officer for biathlon at the Games, says in the weeks leading up to the competition, there were questions whether a mild January might force some skiing events to move off Prince Edward Island.

In the end, the skiing venue at North Wiltshire, P.E.I., was helped by a brief cold snap that started in early February and snow-making machinery that had stockpiled snow on cold days since late last year.

However, as events began on Monday, rain was coming down and a temperature of 4 C was forecast for Charlottetown. Freestyle ski competitions were cancelled at the Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park , while speedskating practices at the Halifax oval were delayed by a steady downpour and temperatures of 8 C.

According to Environment Canada, the last time the Island held the winter games in 1991, the average temperature was -11 C and 88 centimetres of snow had fallen during January. This year, the average temperature in January was -2 C — the warmest since 1953 — and 58 cm of snow fell during the month.

Le Guellec, a former Olympian and World Cup racer, said that the gradual fade of snowy winters in large parts of the Northern Hemisphere has his sport worried both domestically and on the international scene.

Due to weather conditions, Freestyle Ski competitions today have been cancelled. We will update you when a new date and time have been decided. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2023CanadaGames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2023CanadaGames</a> <a