Strong winds disrupt Olympic events

Officials had to delay several Alpine ski events this past week due to strong winds in Pyeongchang, but the events have been rescheduled and should not have a problem this time around.

Tuesday and Wednesday, wind gusts over 40 mph whipped over the Taebeck Mountains that surround Pyeongchang. This caused problems for the Olympic athletes’ performance, and the structures needed to keep the games running, like the chair lifts on the mountain.

As the games begin, 10 AM Thursday in Pyeongchang, the winds will be much more calm, only around 5-10 MPH. On Friday and Saturday, the winds will start to increase again, but will not be as strong as earlier this week.

This should help the games run smoothly for the rest of the Alpine events. On Saturday, the winds are projected to be the strongest of the upcoming days, but not strong enough to postpone events. The chair lifts normally close if winds exceed 35 MPH.

This is nothing out of the ordinary for Pyeongchang. The region normally has windy conditions in the winter as high pressure brings northerly winds from Siberia, down south over the Taebeck Mountains.