SOCHI SCENE: Delayed by ... snow

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia – So the second leg of the women's giant slalom at the Winter Olympics was delayed by — wait for it — snow.

Yes, a sudden shower of thick flakes at the top of the Rosa Khutor course, along with sleet and rain lower down on the hill, came right before the scheduled start time of Tuesday's second of two GS runs. It's the first snow on the mountain since the Alpine competition at the Sochi Games began on Feb. 9.

Indeed, the biggest weather issue until now had been the bright sun that lifted the temperature above 50 degrees (10 Celsius) and made the ski track mushy.

After about a 15-minute delay Tuesday, during which some skiers and coaches huddled under umbrellas, the first starter headed down the giant slalom course for the second run.

— By Howard Fendrich — Twitter http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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Associated Press reporters are filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: http://apne.ws/1c3WMiu