After four years of waiting and preparation, the Winter Olympics are finally back.

And while the 2026 rosters are locked in, Mother Nature is still a bit of a wild card.

Will the weather go for gold, or make for soggy Opening Ceremony celebrations?

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Let’s take a look at the forecast.

Opening Ceremony Weather

The Opening Ceremony will begin Friday at 8 p.m. CET in Milan, Italy. That’s 2 p.m. ET for those of you looking to watch it live.

And while San Siro Stadium, the venue for the ceremony, has a partial roof that extends over the seats, the opening in the center means the weather can still play a role.

Conditions are expected to stay mainly dry during the ceremony with only a slight chance of a stray shower or mist towards the end.

Temperatures should be in the 40s, but winds will be light. So if you’re lucky enough to attend the ceremony, it shouldn't feel too cold.

The Lead Up

Although it seems like the weather may cooperate for the Opening Ceremony, it caused some headaches earlier this week in the rush to finish up preparations for the games.

But on the bright side, the same weather system brought some snow to Cortina d’Ampezzo, where many of the snow and sliding events will take place.

As we continue to monitor the weather for the rest of the Olympics, it's important to note that events will be spread across much of northern Italy, so weather conditions can vary greatly.

What winter event are you most excited to watch? Let us know below.

Caitlin Kaiser graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with both an undergraduate and graduate degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences before starting her career as a digital meteorologist with weather.com.