| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Mother Nature adds glow to Games
By Norma Wagner and Rob Rogers
Deseret News staff writers
Mother Nature apparently is as excited as Salt Lake City about the start of the 2002 Winter Games. She's giving Utah and its international guests a much-needed, last-minute, triple reprieve from the weather conditions that have shrouded the Wasatch Front in the past week.
First, snow fell on this day of Olympic opening ceremonies, christening the city with a blanket of welcoming white. And the showers were short-lived, stopping well in advance of the 6 p.m. entrance — and end — of the worldwide torch relay at Rice Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. The skies also cleared up, expelling the inversion that has plagued the valley and welcoming a crisply pristine atmosphere.
"I think Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front will be putting on its best dress Saturday morning as the sun dawns on a crystal-clear day," said Larry Dunn, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Utah's capital.
It will be cold during the ceremonies tonight — with temperatures in the mid-teens — so participants and spectators should dress warmly, Dunn advises. Highs over the weekend are expected to register in the low 30s. Best of all — "we don't see another big storm on the horizon at the moment," Dunn said.
Still, weather does not come without consequences.
As snow fell in the valley this morning, police were swamped with dozens of fender-benders, but so far no fatalities. Salt Lake police responded to about a dozen minor accidents before 9 a.m., and other valley departments responded to three times as many, likely because of the snowy conditions. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to 17 accidents, also with no major injuries. And along the freeways, Utah Highway Patrol troopers also were kept busy with minor traffic crashes from Layton to the Point of the Mountain.
The snowfall was well-received by international visitors.
"For us, it's great," said Pascal Wever, a Swiss reporter. "Feels more like the Games," he said. The snow had little effect on traffic, he said, because "traffic was slow before."
For French reporter Fredric Neumann, the snowfall was "a very good symbol."
One suggestion for Utahns and Olympic spectators from Dunn, the Weather Service forecaster — is to get a good look now.
"With the inversion, we're going to be starting over again next week, rebuilding the inversion conditions, the low visibility and associated things (pollution, ground particulates) It's just, at this time of year, a natural phenomenon."
E-MAIL: nwagner@desnews.com ; rrogers@desnews.com
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February 8, 2002
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