Historic snow drought: Salt Lake City Olympic organizers preparing for 2034 games after dry winter

Salt Lake City is experiencing a historic snow drought as the area prepares to host the 2034 Winter Olympic games. WRAL's Severe Weather Team explores the concerns about the weather as the planet keeps warming.
Posted 2/19/2026, 12:13:22 AM Updated 2/19/2026, 1:00:05 AM

COUNTY DEPUTIES SAY THIS IS AN

ONGOING INVESTIGATION FOR QUITE

THE DETAILS. BRENDA, THANK YOU.

>> WHILE SALT LAKE CITY WILL

HOST THE 2034 WINTER GAMES.

YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A FAIRLY

WARM, DRY WINTER THERE THIS

YEAR. AND THAT SHOULD WORRY

PEOPLE. THEIR ORGANIZERS ARE

ALREADY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO

MAKE SURE THE CONDITIONS WILL

BE PERFECT FOR THE ATHLETES

WITH PLENTY OF SNOW.

METEOROLOGIST ELIZABETH GARDNER

EXPLAINS HOW THEY PLAN TO HAVE

THAT SNOW. NO MATTER WHAT

MOTHER NATURE DELIVERS.

>> SALT LAKE CITY HOSTED THE

WINTER OLYMPICS 20 YEARS AGO

AND ITS TURN COMES UP AGAIN IN

2030 FOR OUR PLANET CONTINUES

TO WARM EACH YEAR. THE SALT

LAKE CITY AIRPORT IS ON TRACK

TO SEE THE LOWEST SNOWFALL FOR

A SEASON. THE SURROUNDING

MOUNTAINS OF ONLY SEEN 50 TO

80% OF NORMAL SNOWFALL. SO FAR

THIS SEASON, CLIMATE CHANGE HAS

AFFECTED THE VIABILITY OF

OUTDOOR WINTER OLYMPIC EVENTS

AROUND THE WORLD OUT OF 93

POTENTIAL LOCATIONS ONLY AROUND

50 MAY BE COLD ENOUGH TO HOST

THE GAMES. 24 YEARS FROM NOW

AND SOME OFFICIALS ARE WORRIED

AND 14 ITALY, THE WINTER

STARTED WARM AND DRY IN EARLY

JANUARY. SKI OFFICIALS WERE

CONCERNED THAT THERE WOULDN'T

BE ENOUGH SNOW FOR THE GAMES.

THEN TEMPERATURES DROPPED AND

SKI AREAS CRANKED UP THE

SNOWMAKING MACHINES TO SAVE

THE DAY. CORTINA ISN'T THE ONLY

EVENT THAT IS DEPENDENT ON

SNOWMAKING FOR THE OLYMPIC

EVENTS. SOCHI AND 2014 MADE 80%

OF THAT SNOW PYEONGCHANG, 90%.

AND BEIJING MADE 100 PER CENT

OF THE SNOW REQUIRED FOR ITS

OLYMPICS. SALT LAKE CITY HAS

PLANS FOR LARGE-SCALE

SNOWMAKING AND A LARGE

STOCKPILE TO SNOW RESERVE.

SO FOR THE NORDIC OR A CROSS

COUNTRY EVENTS, THEY MAY

ACTUALLY TRY TO SALT THE TRAIL

BECAUSE SALT WILL LOWER THE

TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SNOW

MELTS. IT'S SORT OF LIKE THIS.

SO I HAVE HEIST AND SALT IN

THE BAG AFTER THE WATER IN.

>> AND THEN I SHAKE IT FOR 5

MINUTES. AND SO IT'S LIKE

MAGIC. LOOK AT THIS.

IT'S FROZEN.

>> OFFICIALS IN SALT LAKE CITY

SAY THEY NEED LESS THAN A MONTH

OF COLD TEMPERATURES TO MAKE

THE AMOUNT OF SNOW NEEDED FOR

THE 2034 OLYMPIC GAMES IN A

NORMAL YEAR. SOME SALT LAKE

CITY SKI RESORTS GET UP TO 500

INCHES OF SNOW. BUT WITH THE

WARMING PLANET, THEY AREN'T

TAKING ANY CHANCES AND THEY'LL

BE READY FOR WHATEVER THE

WEATHER BRINGS IN 2034.

>> ALL ON IT. YOU KNOW, THERE

ARE NOW FEWER LOCATIONS, THE

HOST, THE OLYMPICS, ELIZABETH

ALLUDED TO THIS BECAUSE OF THE

CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS

AROUND THE WORLD. YOU CAN FIND

A LONGER DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS

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