( CNN ) -- If you 've packed your warmest hat and coziest jacket for the Winter Olympics , it would be a bit disconcerting to look out your hotel window and see a palm tree , swaying in a gentle spring-like breeze . That , however , is exactly what many patrons of the Sochi Winter Games are experiencing . Most people think of Russia in winter and picture the snow-covered cathedrals of Moscow , where average temperatures in February range between minus 10 Celsius ( 14 Fahrenheit ) and minus 4 C ( 24.8 F ) and all but require the wearing of those iconic fur hats . Sochi , however , is one of the southernmost cities in Russia . It 's located over 1,000 km south of Moscow and has a completely different climate . Indeed , on most winter days , Sochi ( and the nearby town of Adler , where many of the events are being held ) are the warmest locations in the country . This was the case on Monday , when Sochi reached a balmy 15.9 C ( 61 F ) -- warmer than any other Russian city by more than 1 C. Compare that to the coldest location in Russia -- Siberia 's Jikimda , which hit -50 C ( -58 F ) . The International Olympic Committee can not say Sochi 's temperatures this month come as a surprise , as the city has the warmest climate of any Winter Games host city . In February , temperatures range between 3 C ( 37 F ) and 10 C ( 50 F ) on average , but as we are seeing they can climb even higher . These numbers mean that it edges out the previous warmest location . Vancouver , Canada , host of the Games in 2010 , averages highs of about 8 C ( 46 F ) and lows around 1 C ( 34 F ) . Like Vancouver , Sochi is a coastal town and has a much warmer climate than the surrounding areas , including the `` Mountain Cluster '' venues where the skiing , snowboarding , and sliding events -- bobsled , skeleton and luge -- are taking place . These mountain peaks rise over 2,300 meters , and since air temperatures generally cool with height , it means these venues stay 5 - 10 C ( 41 F - 50 F ) degrees cooler . Even with this mitigating factor , the full sun and above-average temperatures this week have led to less than ideal conditions for skiing . Ultimately , however , between the snow-making machines and the millions of pounds ( kilos ) of snow that were saved from last winter , Sochi will avoid snowless ski and snowboard events . And since the events held in Sochi and Adler -- the `` Coastal Cluster '' -- are all indoors , they could be theoretically be held in Dubai in July and it would n't make much of a difference -- but let 's not give the IOC any ideas ! But those who prefer their Winter Olympics to be held in places that actually feel like winter , and require the wearing of hats and jackets , can look forward to the 2018 games in Pyeongchang , South Korea , where daytime highs rarely go above 0 C ( 32 F ) and night-time lows average -11 C ( 12 F ) .
Sochi is the warmest Winter Games location . February average temperatures range between 3˚C ( 37˚F ) and 10˚C ( 50˚F ) However , `` mountain cluster '' venues significantly colder due to altitude . Snow-making machines and last year 's snow means slopes will remain covered .