Athletes competing in Nordic and alpine events during the 2010 Games will have access to up-to-the-minute weather forecasts with the installation of a new radar system, the federal government announced Saturday.

A $1-million Doppler system has been put in place just outside Whistler, B.C., allowing meteorologists to monitor conditions along the Sea-to-Sky Highway and over the two competition venues in the area.

"It would be like knowing what your weather is like at home and knowing how the weather is different one or two blocks away," said Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

The announcement about the radar system caps years of preparations by Environment Canada to provide weather services during the Games.

The radar joins a network of weather stations and a wind profiler installed specifically for the Olympics to feed into existing systems.

"We don't show the (teams) the whole wealth of data we have because it's a huge amount," said Chris Doyle, the chief meteorologist for the Olympics.

"The forecaster's job is to condense all of that information and prepare a forecast for Games-time operations at the venue that make sense to the user."

The Doppler system specifically allows forecasters to monitor snowfalls and storms.

"We'll get more precision and finer detail than we had before," said Al Wallace, regional director of Meteorological Services Canada.

The radar system was built from old parts and some new technologies and will be dismantled after the Games, though Prentice said he's open to trying to figure out a way for the radar system to stay in place.

Overall, the government is providing $9 million in weather forecasting services during the

Olympics, including an extensive network of weather stations and wind monitors.

Environment Canada also has a separate contract with the Olympic organizing committee to provide specific services during the Games.

Weather can either be a boon or bust to Olympics organizers.

While athletes need snow to compete in Nordic or alpine events, the white stuff can also paralyze roads and throw a carefully timed transportation system into disarray.

Weather conditions can also force the cancellation of events, which is what happened this past winter at Cypress Mountain, where the snow was deemed too soft to hold some World Cup snowboard events.