Torino finally sees a taste of the white stuff

Torino finally sees a taste of the white stuff{mosimage}SESTRIERE, Italy – It’s finally starting to snow in Torino.

Snowflakes were falling Thursday on the mountains that will host the Winter Olympics in 15 days. Gianni Poncet, the competition manager for skiing, said 30-40 centimeters (12-16 inches) of snow were forecast over the next 48 hours.

”We hope it’s like they say it is,” Poncet said.

Snow has not fallen on the alpine zone since New Year’s Eve.

The International Ski Federation voiced concern earlier this month that there was not sufficient snowcover on the Games’ ski courses. Organizers responded by saying they had rectified the problem with artificial snow.

A major snowstorm would put everyone at ease, though.

It was also snowing Thursday in downtown Torino, which has been on smog alert lately due to a lack of precipitation.

The Torino Games run Feb. 10-26.

– The Associated Press