Shaun Botterill / Getty

Sochi, Russia - host city of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games

SOCHI, Russia - While Moscow digs itself out of a huge snow storm that hit the Russian capital in the last few days, organizers of the Winter Olympics are worried a lack of white powder could become a problem next February.

Unseasonably warm temperatures this winter in Sochi have forced local organizers to store some 450,000 cubic meters of snow in the nearby Caucasus Mountains that surround this sub-tropical Black Sea resort.

"We've prepared seven separate areas for snow storage high up in the mountains," Sergei Bachin, general director of Roza Khutor, a ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana that will host Alpine skiing, snowboarding and freestyle Olympic competition, told Reuters.

"I want to assure all the competitors that there won't be any shortage of snow next February even if we encounter even warmer temperatures next year," he said.

"We're storing such huge amounts of snow just in case."

The snow will be covered with a "special thermo seal", to protect it from melting during the summer, Bachin said.

"We expect that about 140,000 (cubic meters) will melt away but we'll still have more than 300,000 cubic meters of snow available for next year," he predicted, saying the storage will cost his company an extra $11 million.

Nevertheless, Sochi 2014 chief Dmitry Chernyshenko has stated on several occasions that the weather has become a bigger problem for the organizers, who are frantically trying to finish all the construction projects on time, than security or the infrastructure.

Slideshow: Sochi 2014

Mikhail Mordasov / AFP - Getty Images

The Winter Olympics arrive in Sochi on Feb. 7, 2014. A look at how the Russian city is shaping up for its moment in the spotlight.

Launch slideshow

Bachin, however, assured that Krasnaya Polyana, once a sleepy mountain village, about 70 kilometers from central Sochi, would be ready to host all the outdoor Olympic events next February rain or shine.

"Of the 76 Olympic test events scheduled in Krasnaya Polyana this winter a great majority had been completed and only a handful have been called off because of bad weather," he said.

"I think we've passed the test as the last major event of the season was held this weekend in nearby Laura complex."

Usually, Krasnaya Polyana has the opposite problem - too much snow and the risk of avalanches, Bachin said.

"This was a very odd winter. Even locals don't remember when was the last time they had such warm days in the mountains. It's highly unlikely we'll see the same kind of weather next year," he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related: 

'Exploitative, abusive': Activists slam conditions for workers at Olympic site

How do you say 'volunteer' in Russian? Sochi 2014 Olympics introduces a new concept

More Sochi coverage from NBC Olympics

Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images

A woman walks on a snowy road in Caen, northwestern France, during a heavy snowstorm on March 12, 2013. Overnight Monday nearly 500 cars were blocked near Cherbourg, where snowdrifts piled up almost two feet as winds reached more than 60 miles an hour.

Pascal Rossignol / Reuters

A man shovels snow off his car in Cambrai, northern France, on March 12, 2013.

Nicolas Armer / EPA

A snowplow removes snow at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 12, 2013. Over 200 flights were cancelled as bad weather hampered efforts by snow sweepers to clear runways and prevented airline crews from reaching work on time.

Reuters reports — An overnight snowstorm in northwestern Europe forced the closure of Frankfurt Airport, caused record traffic jams in Belgium, and left British and French drivers sleeping in their cars. 

Take-offs and landings at Europe's third-busiest airport were halted at around noon on Tuesday to clear snow from the runways. It was set to reopen at around 8.30 a.m. ET.

The high-speed Eurostar train service connecting London with the French and Belgian capitals and the Thalys line linking Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Cologne in Germany were both suspended. Read the full story.

Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images

Firefighters rescue a driver who slid from a roadside during a heavy snowstorm in Caen, northwestern France, on March 12, 2013.

Pascal Rossignol / Reuters

Firefighters evacuate a man in Cambrai, northern France, on March 12, 2013 as winter weather with snow and freezing temperatures returns to the region.

Ian Langsdon / EPA

A pedestrian braves heavy snowfall on the snow-covered Champs de Mars near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on March 12, 2013.

Yuya Shino / Reuters

Japanese women in kimonos walk during heavy snowfall at Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo, as they attend a ceremony celebrating Coming of Age Day, Jan. 14, 2013. Youths across Japan are honoured with special coming-of-age ceremonies when they reach the age of 20.

Koji Sasahara / AP

A man crosses a pedestrian bridge in the snow in Tokyo, Jan. 14, 2013.

Franck Robichon / EPA

Pedestrians cross a large avenue as heavy snow falls in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 14, 2013.

Kim Kyung-hoon / Reuters

People clear snow off a road, next to a car stranded in the snow, in Tokyo, Jan. 14, 2013.

Tokyo had its first snowfall this season today.  A blanket of snow made for pretty pictures but difficult commutes. Flights to and from the capital's Haneda airport were cancelled, parts of expressways closed and local train services delayed. 

Watch the video report below.

Slideshow: Winter's frozen splendor

AFP - Getty Images

Ice and snow changes our environment, as winter engulfs our world.

Launch slideshow

Darren Whiteside / Reuters

Snow covers the Dome of the Rock on the compound know to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City on Jan. 10, 2013.

Abir Sultan / EPA

An Ultra Orthodox Jew wades through the snow next to the Old City walls in Jerusalem on Jan. 10, 2013. The region has been gripped by a cold wave accompanied by heavy snowfalls over the last few days.

Youssef Badawi / EPA

Children with their families play in the snow on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on Jan. 10, 2013, after the region was hit by heavy snowfalls overnight. Syria has been gripped by a cold wave accompanied by heavy snowfalls for the second day, cutting off roads and bringing life to a standstill. The government has postponed the mid-year exams because of the blizzard that has blanketed all streets and hilltops.

The worst snowstorm in 20 years shut public transport, roads and schools in Jerusalem and along the northern Israeli region bordering on Lebanon on Thursday. 

Jerusalem was transformed into a winter wonderland after heavy overnight snowfall turned the Holy City and much of the region white, bringing hordes of excited children onto the streets.

Powerful winter storm brings snow, havoc to Mideast, leaving 8 dead

In neighboring Syria, the snowfall that covered Damascus in white on Wednesday sparked an overnight outbreak of playfulness among Syrians, who momentarily ignored their bloody civil war and forgot their affiliations as dissidents, loyalists and even soldiers.

"Last night, for the first time in months, I heard laughter instead of shelling. Even the security forces put down their guns and helped us make a snowman," Iman, a resident of the central Shaalan neighborhood, said by Skype on Thursday. 

-- Reuters, Agence France-Presse

Bernat Armangue / AP

Snow falls as an ultra-orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on Jan. 10, 2013. Stormy weather conditions continued on Thursday with snow, torrential rains and strong winds across the region.

Majdi Mohammed / AP

Palestinians play in the snow next to a section of Israel's separation barrier in Qalandia, between Jerusalem and the West bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 10, 2013.

Ahmad Gharabli / AFP - Getty Images

A man takes pictures of the snow-covered Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem on Jan. 10, 2013.

Avi Ohayon / Israeli Government Press Office via Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoys the snow with his family on Jan. 10, 2013 in Jerusalem.

Bernat Armangue / AP

A man walks through tombs covered by snow on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem on Jan. 10, 2013.

Jim Hollander / EPA

Palestinian girls play in the snow on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem on Jan. 10, 2013.

Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

Slideshow: Winter's frozen splendor

AFP - Getty Images

Ice and snow changes our environment, as winter engulfs our world.

Launch slideshow

Bulent Kilic / AFP - Getty Images

The city of Istanbul is covered with snow on Jan. 9, after a storm blanketed Turkey's commercial hub, a city of 15 million, paralyzing daily life, disrupting air traffic and land transport.

Ammar Awad / Reuters

Palestinians play with snow during a snow storm in the West Bank village of Halhul near Hebron on Jan. 9. At least 8 people have died due to a winter storm in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Meteorological agencies in Israel and Lebanon both called it the worst storm in 20 years.

Reuters

A man walks on snow after a heavy snowstorm in the desert near Tabuk, 932 miles from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 9.

By Barbara Surk, Jamal Halaby, The Associated Press -- The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years brought a rare foot of snow to Jordan on Wednesday, caused fatal accidents in Lebanon and the West Bank, and disrupted traffic on the Suez Canal in Egypt. At least eight people died across the region.

In Lebanon, the Red Cross said storm-related accidents killed six people over the past two days. Several drowned after slipping into rivers from flooded roads, one person froze to death and another died after his car went off a slippery road, according to George Kettaneh, Operations Director for the Lebanese Red Cross.

The unusual weather over the past few days hit vulnerable Syrian refugees living in tent camps very hard, particularly some 50,000 sheltering in the Zaatari camp in Jordan's northern desert. Torrential rains over four days have flooded some 200 tents and forced women and infants to evacuate in temperatures that dipped below freezing at night, whipping wind and lashing rain.

"It's been freezing cold and constant rain for the past four days," lamented Ahmad Tobara, 44, who evacuated his tent when its shafts submerged in flood water in Zaatari. A camp spokesman said that by Wednesday, some 1,500 refugees had been displaced within the camp and were now living in mobile homes normally used for schools.

Read the full story.

AFP - Getty Images

A visitor climbs the steps of Baalbek's Bachus temple as snow covers the Roman ruins of the historic town in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Jan. 9, following a fierce storm which has whipped the region this week with temperatures dropping dramatically and snow falling on across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel.

Said Khatib / AFP - Getty Images

A Palestinian man uses his donkey cart to transport people across a flooded street in the Rafah refugee camp, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 9.

Afif Diab / Reuters

Syrian refugees play with snow outside their tents during a winter storm in al-Marj, in the Bekaa valley on Jan. 9. The worst winter storm in two decades has hit the eastern Mediterranean this week, bringing destruction and death to Syria and its neighbors who are already dealing with a refugee crisis from the country's civil war.

Bulent Kilic / AFP - Getty Images

A seagull stands on Galata Tower on Jan. 9. Heavy snowfall blanketed Turkey's commercial hub Istanbul, a city of 15 millions, paralyzing daily life, disrupting air traffic and land transport.

Mohammed Ballas / AP

Palestinians cross a road flooded and swept away by heavy rains in the northern West Bank village of Kabatyeh, on Jan. 9. A Palestinian official says the fiercest storm to hit the area in a decade has claimed the lives of two West Bank women who drowned after their car was caught in a flash flood unleashed by torrential rains.

AMMAN, Jordan -- The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years has unleashed deadly flash flooding in the West Bank, dumped a rare foot of snow on the desert in Jordan and disrupted traffic on the Suez Canal in Egypt.

The unusual weather was a particularly harsh blow for the vulnerable Syrian refugees, especially about 50,000 sheltering in the Zaatari tent camp in Jordan's northern desert. Torrential rains over the past four days have flooded 200 tents and forced women and infants to evacuate their tents in temperatures below freezing at night, whipping wind and lashing rain.

"It's been freezing cold and constant rain for the past four days," lamented Ahmad Tobara, 44, who evacuated his tent when its shafts submerged in flood water in Zaatari camp.

In the West Bank town of Ramallah, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday two West Bank women drowned after their car was caught in a flash flood a day earlier. Nablus Deputy Governor Annan Atirah said the women abandoned their vehicle after it got stuck on a flooded road and their bodies were found apparently swept away by surging waters. Their driver was hospitalized in critical condition.

The storm dumped at least a foot of snow on many parts of Jordan, shutting schools, stranding motorists and delaying international flights, Jordanian weatherman Mohammed Samawi said. He called it the "fiercest storm to hit the Mideast in the month of January in at least 30 years."

Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

Men play in the snow after a heavy snowstorm in Amman on Jan. 9. Snowstorm and heavy rains caused the closure of main streets in the capital Amman and other cities over the past two days.

The rare, heavy snowfall blocked all streets in Jordan's capital, Amman, and isolated remote villages, prompting warnings from authorities for people to stay home as snow ploughs tried to reopen clogged roads. The country's Meteorology Department said the storm, accompanied by lashing wind, lightning and thunder, dumped the most snow in northern regions and some parts of usually arid southern Jordan.

The snowstorm followed four days of torrential rain, which caused flooding in many areas across the country.

In Egypt, torrential rains, strong winds and low visibility disrupted Suez Canal operations over the past three days and also closed down several ports. The number of ships moving through the Suez Canal dropped by half because of poor visibility, the official MENA news agency reported. A canal official said that by Wednesday, operations had returned to normal. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

PhotoBlog: On the move again, Syrian refugees flee flooding

MENA also reported that ports in the northern Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Dakhila were shut down, while cities in the Nile Delta suffered power outages and fishing stopped in cities like Damietta, northeast of Cairo.

MENA also reported ten fishermen went missing after their boat capsized near Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.

More world stories from NBC News:

• 150 years old and still running late: London Tube reaches landmark
• Family escapes 'tornadoes of fire' by clinging to jetty for 3 hours
• Video: How happy is the only country to track happiness?
• Flag debate sparks rioting in Northern Ireland
• World's best frenemies: Karzai, Obama set for key talks
• Video: Death art encourages living to seize the day
• 10ft squid captured on film in natural habitat
• Experts: 'Horrible' sea level rise plausible by 2100

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Alexander F. Yuan / AP

Chinese tourists take photos on a rebuilt part of the Great Wall in Luanping, in northern China's Hebei province, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

Slideshow: Winter's frozen splendor

Arno Balzarini / EPA

Ice and snow changes our environment, as winter engulfs our world.

Launch slideshow

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

Martin Lyngdal / AFP - Getty Images

The avalanche area in northern Norway is seen late Monday.

OSLO, Norway -- Five skiers were killed on Monday when a large avalanche in Norway's High Arctic region engulfed a group of downhill enthusiasts, Norwegian police said.  Four were Swiss and one was French.

A sixth member of the group, who was Swiss, was pulled alive from the snow and reported to be in stable condition at a regional hospital.

They had been on Sorbmegaisa, a steep mountain 75 miles east of the city of Tromsoe in an area popular with backcountry skiers and snowboarders, when the snow broke loose.

"We have found all six persons who were taken by the avalanche, and five of them were confirmed dead," said Troms district police spokesman Thorstein Skogvang.

While the survivor was found close to the surface the others were buried as much as 20 feet deep, Skogvang said.

They had been part of a group of 12 when the avalanche occurred some 3,000 feet above the nearby Lyngen Fjord, officials said.

Those who escaped began digging for their fellow skiers and were joined by people from a nearby lodge as well as by Norway's Joint Rescue Coordination Center and other groups.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

• Four killed in shooting at Jewish school in France
• Artist Ai Weiwei slips, briefly, through China censors
• American killed in Yemen 'highly respected' Islam
• Cuba detains 70 'Ladies in White' ahead of Pope visit
• Report: 'I am the real dictator,' wife of Syria's Bashar Assad says
• American reportedly held hostage in Iraq released

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

Israelis and Palestinians woke Friday to a rare sight in the usually temperate Holy Land: a thin blanket of snow.

Snow fell in Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Galilee, and the West Bank cities of Hebron and Bethlehem as residents and tourists alike ventured out to enjoy the unusual winter weather. 

Local media reported that this was the first time in four years that snow had fallen in Jerusalem.

Marco Longari / AFP - Getty Images

A Palestinian man and his son stand next to a snowman outside their house on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah as wintry weather swept through the region on March 2, 2012.

Marco Longari / AFP - Getty Images

Israelis play in the snow in Jerusalem on March 2, 2012.

Marco Longari / AFP - Getty Images

Palestinian youths play with snowballs in Jerusalem on March 2, 2012.

Abir Sultan / EPA

Two Haredi (Ultra Orthodox ) Jews make their way through a snowstorm in the Mea Shaarim neighborhood of Jerusalem on March 2, 2012.

Bernat Armangue / AP

Ultra-orthodox Jewish youths dress a snowman in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood on March 2, 2012.

Marco Longari / AFP - Getty Images

Snow falls on an olive tree in the West Bank city of Ramallah on March 2, 2012.

Darren Whiteside / Reuters

Melted ice trickles off the hat of a man as he visits the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City on March 2, 2012.

AP reports - Military planes and police helicopters flew in tons of emergency food to snowbound villages and ships in the Balkans on Monday, after blizzards so fierce that some people had to cut tunnels through 15 feet of snow to get out of their homes.

Vladimir Gogic / AP

A Serbian police helicopter delivers food to sailors stuck on stranded boats on the Danube river near Smederevo, Serbia, on Monday, Feb. 13.

Since the end of January, Eastern Europe has been pummeled by a record-breaking cold snap and the heaviest snowfall in recent memory. Hundreds of people, many of them homeless, have died in the bitter cold and tens of thousands have been trapped by blocked roads inside homes with little heat. More on this story...