Sochi photo time lapse: See the Olympic city transform from space

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Digital writers
theweathernetwork.com

Thursday, January 30, 2014, 2:50 PM -

It’s unbelievable what $50 billion can do. Just ask Russia, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics, who forked out nearly that much cash to virtually transform the entire seaside resort town of Sochi into an unforgettable Olympic venue.

These satellite images (seen below) from DigitalGlobe and Google illustrate just how dramatically the Olympic complexes have morphed the city’s landscape over the past nine years. Perched next to the Black Sea, Sochi now boasts several newly built arenas to accommodate sports ranging from hockey to curling to speed skating, while resorts located several kilometres outside of the city have prepared for Alpine skiing matches and the bobsled, luge and skeleton events.

GET IN THE LOOP: Get to know this year's Winter Olympic host

Looking to the Sochi Games in February, temperatures typically average 8.3°C while winter lows rarely dip below freezing for long periods. The temperatures in this month are also characterized by gradually rising daily high temperatures. This has sparked concerns by many who believe the temperatures to be too warm to host winter events. To make matters worse, Sochi receives more rain than snow in this month. About 70 percent of the total precipitation in February is usually rain while only 20 percent of precipitation is snow. As a result of the warm temperatures in the area, these Winter Games will be one of the most expensive to host.

So was it worth the cost? See the images below, and judge for yourself:

APRIL 2005