Some real snow finally in the forecast for the Olympic athletes in Beijing

The athletes certainly steal the show at the Olympics with their world-class talent, but if you look past the snowy slopes, mogulsand half pipes you won’t see much snow.

Where is the snow?

The region where the athletes are competing only receives an average of 1.3” of snow in February, according to NASA.

That's even less than here in Raleigh where we average closer to 1.7” in February.

Hit the slopes with our NC Ski resort guide

While winters are typically very cold and the mountain slopes are perfectly steep, the region near Beijing is very dry this time of year.

With the lack of natural snowfall in the region, the athletes have been competing on artificial snow. Any local skiers and snowboards know that a fresh and authentic powdery snow is typically less icy and preferred on the slopes.

Luckily, the athletes should have some fresh powder by the weekend.

Late Saturday into Sunday a few inches of snow is in the forecast — the first real snow of the 2022 Olympics.

Warming across our planet does not bode well for future Winter Olympics.

Just last February, China experienced record warmth. The average February temperature in Beijing has climbed nearly 9 degrees since the 1950s.

Due to Earth’s continued warming climate, Olympic athletes may need to adapt to changing snow conditions with more artificial snow possible in the future.

The good news is that the International Olympic Committee recognizes the future challenges and impacts climate change will have on the games.

The IOC has pledged to become “climate positive” from 2030. Future games will have to minimize and compensate for their direct and indirect carbon emissions related to the Olympics.

They will also be required to “implement lasting zero-carbon solutions for the Olympics and beyond." In addition to these positive steps to combat climate change, the IOC will also be planting an Olympic forest in Africa.