Development of forecasting technologies for meteorological support of the Sochi-2014 Winter Olympic Games

In February–March 2014 the Winter Olympic Games will be held in Sochi. Sharp weather contrasts and high spatiotemporal variability are typical of the region of the Sochi-2014 Games. The complex mountain terrain and the intricate mixture of marine subtropical and Alpine conditions make the weather forecasting in this region extremely challenging. Although all lead times of the forecast are important for the Games, primary needs for these sport events are associated with the nowcasting and the short-range weather forecasting. The complexity of the Sochi region stimulates the development of high-resolution mesoscale modeling as a backbone of the Olympic meteorological services. Presented are the main branches of the current research in this area carried out in Roshydromet.