PARIS (AP) — A test run meant to allow Olympic athletes to familiarize themselves with the marathon swimming course in the Seine River was canceled Tuesday over concerns about water quality in the Paris waterway.
World Aquatics made the decision to cancel the exercise at an early morning meeting, the organization said in a statement. Fluctuating bacteria levels in the long-polluted waterway have been a constant concern throughout the Games with the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events both planned in the river.
Another marathon swimming test event is scheduled for Wednesday, and organizers will decide early that morning whether it will go forward, the statement said. The women's marathon swim competition is set for Thursday, while the men are scheduled to race Friday.
The cancellation of Tuesday's marathon swimming test event comes a day after the triathlon mixed relay event was held in the river that runs through the center of the French capital. World Triathlon released data Tuesday showing that when the triathletes swam Monday, the levels of fecal bacteria E. coli and enterococci were within acceptable levels for the length of the triathlon relay course.
The swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swim both start and finish at the Pont Alexandre III, but the marathon swimming course extends farther down the river. Marathon swimmers do six laps on the 1.67-kilometer (1 mile) course for a total of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles.)
Water samples drawn early Monday showed E. coli levels ranging from “good” to “very good” at four collection points in the river, World Aquatics said.
It takes longer to cultivate enterococci samples, so the decision to cancel Tuesday's test run relied on samples taken Sunday, organizers said. Monday's enterococci levels were available by midmorning Tuesday and while they showed an improvement in the river's water quality, one of four tests still fell short of World Aquatics standards.
Under both World Aquatics and World Triathlon guidelines, “good” water quality can include up to 1,000 colony-forming units of E. coli per 100 milliliters and up to 400 colony-forming units of enterococci per 100 milliliters.
A sample taken early Monday at Port du Gros Caillou, which is on the marathon swimming course but is beyond the point where triathletes turned around Monday, showed a level of 436 units of enterococci, data released Tuesday show.
Organizers said they “remain confident” that the marathon swimming events will happen in the Seine as planned based on “a favorable weather forecast and forward-looking analysis.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took a highly publicized swim in the Seine last month to allay fears about water quality ahead of the Olympics, echoed that confidence.
“We will of course wait to get the results of the water quality but the event will take place because there’s been a clear improvement of the weather these past few days,” she said. "So I’m really proud and happy and to all those who want to continue saying it’s impossible to depollute a river, I tell them, ’Yes it’s possible, we did it.'”
With a few exceptions, swimming in the Seine has been prohibited since 1923 because the water has been too toxic. Paris undertook ambitious plan, including 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructure improvements to ensure that some swimming events could be held in the river. That included the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
Water quality in the Seine is closely linked to the weather. Heavy rains can cause wastewater and runoff to flow into the river, resulting in elevated bacteria levels, while warm temperatures and the sun's ultraviolet rays can kill the germs and lower levels.
While the weather has mostly been hot and sunny during the Games, there have been several instances of drenching rains. Water quality concerns caused the cancellation of test swims in the Seine ahead of both the individual triathlon and triathlon mixed relay events and led to the postponement by a day of the men's individual triathlon.
Four triathletes — of the more than 100 who competed in the men’s and women’s individual races last week — became sick in the following days, though it’s unclear whether the water was to blame.
Most strains of E. coli and enterococci are harmless, and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But others are dangerous and even a mouthful of contaminated water can cause infections in the urinary tract or intestines. Several factors determine whether a person falls ill after exposure, chief among them a person’s age and general health.
Associated Press video journalist Masha Macpherson contributed to this report.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Athletes jump into the water to compete in the swimming race in the Seine river, during the mixed relay triathlon, at the 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, France, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (Martin Bureau/Pool Photo via AP)
A view of the Seine River is pictured at sunset during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Athletes jump into the water to compete in the swimming race in the Seine river, during the mixed relay triathlon, at the 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, France, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (Martin Bureau/Pool Photo via AP)
Ducks swim along the Seine River in front of the Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris. As the Olympics continue in Paris, the Seine River's water quality remains a major area of concern for officials. Organizers of the triathlon event cancelled swimming practice on Monday for the second day in a row because of poor water quality. Event organizers hope sunny weather will make swimming viable on Tuesday when the triathlon begins. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A rare frigid storm charged through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow that closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more used to hurricane dismissals than snow days.
The storm prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border, and snow plows were at the ready in the Florida Panhandle. Snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Gulf Shores, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida. The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.
Nearly 2,000 flights to, from or within the U.S. were canceled Tuesday, with about 10,000 others delayed, according to online tracker FlightAware.com. Both Houston airports suspended flight operations starting Tuesday.
Alvaro Perez was hunkering down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday after his flight to El Salvador, to visit his girlfriend for her birthday, was canceled. His new departure is scheduled for Thursday.
“I’ll just ride it and stay here,” said Perez, of Hockley, Texas, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) away.
Nearly every flight was cancelled at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, though officials said the airport itself would remain open “as long as the conditions are safe.” Most airlines planned to resume operations Wednesday.
It has been more than a decade since snow last fell on New Orleans, where schools are closed through Thursday. Bundled-up onlookers checked out the strange sight of Bourbon Street in the snow, including a snowcapped memorial to those killed in the New Year’s Day truck attack.
With more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of snow already in parts of the city Tuesday, New Orleans has surpassed its record — 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) on Dec. 31, 1963 — according to the National Weather Service. There have been unofficial reports of 10 inches (26 centimeters) of snow in New Orleans in 1895, NWS meteorologist Christopher Bannan said.
The East Coast was blanketed in snow while people from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine shivered in bitter cold from an arctic air mass that plunged temperatures well below normal.
In New Orleans, 65-year-old Robert Hammock donned a beanie and rallied himself and his border collie Tillie for a snowy morning walk.
“She loves the snow,” Hammock said, as Tillie sprawled happily in the slush on the sidewalk. “I’m from south Alabama, so I hate the snow.”
Winter storm warnings Tuesday extended from Texas to North Carolina, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to move eastward through the region into Wednesday. Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared Monday night across at least a dozen counties in New York as heavy lake-effect snow was expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday — with 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) possible — along with extreme cold temperatures.
Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and even Florida — the Sunshine State — declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday. School closures were planned in some coastal communities in North and South Carolina.
The NWS said up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow fell in metro Houston. Texas transportation officials said more than 20 snow plows were in use across nearly 12,000 lane miles in the Houston area, which lacks its own city or county plows.
It’s the first time Houston has seen snow since a winter storm knocked out power to millions and killed more than 200 people across Texas in 2021, according to meteorologist Hayley Adams at the NWS in Houston.
Snow is rare in Texas' largest city. In February 1895, a two-day storm dropped a record 20 inches (50 centimeters) on metropolitan Houston.
Officials said one person has died from hypothermia in Georgia. Forecasters say snowfall could stretch from north Georgia, through Atlanta, and into southern portions unaccustomed to such weather.
Parts of the Florida Panhandle were coated white Tuesday. Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, last saw snow in 2018 — just 0.1 of an inch (0.25 centimeters), according to the weather service. Tallahassee's highest snowfall on record was 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) in 1958.
“Believe it or not, in the state of Florida we’re mobilizing snowplows,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Mobile, Alabama, hit 5.4 inches (13.7 centimeters) and counting Tuesday, topping the city’s one-day snowfall record of 5 inches (12.7 centimeters), set on Jan. 24, 1881, and nearing its all-time snowfall record of 6 inches (15.5 centimeters) in 1895, the weather service said.
The blizzard warning in effect until midday Tuesday was the first issued by the office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, according to meteorologist Donald Jones. Strong winds with heavy snow reduced visibility, and areas across the Gulf South that rarely see snow were expecting record-breaking snowfall, Jones said.
Louisiana transportation agency workers worked through the night to prepare bridges and roadways. Nonetheless, Louisiana State Police said they have already responded to more than 50 crashes Tuesday, and pleaded for people to stay home.
In Baton Rouge, where snowfall hit 6 inches (15 centimeters) by midday Tuesday, city officials and state police said the low visibility caused by the snow was making roads hazardous. It was the first snowfall in the capital city since 2018.
Frigid cold persisted across the eastern two-thirds of the country with multiple record lows possible through midweek, especially across the Gulf Coast and portions of the Southeast, the weather service said. Normal temperatures were only expected to return slowly by the end of the week.
Wind chills were expected to reach minus 30 to minus 50 degrees (minus 34 C to minus 46 C) at times across the Dakotas and into the Upper Midwest, posing an extreme risk of hypothermia and frostbite. Subzero wind chills were forecast from the Central Plains eastward through Wednesday night.
The NWS issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region.
This latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped at the North Pole.
In Southern California, where blazes have killed at least 27 people and burned thousands of homes, dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds remained a concern.
Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Jack Brook in New Orleans; Sara Cline in Key Largo, Florida; Julie Walker in New York; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey; Corey Williams in Detroit; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed.
People walk past the 1900 Storm memorial sculpture on Seawall Blvd. during an icy winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Harrison County Beaches flourished with snowstorm Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Pass Christian, Miss. (Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via AP)
Ice is formed on the nose of the 1900 Storm memorial sculpture during an icy winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Harrison County Beaches flourished with snowstorm Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Pass Christian, Miss. (Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via AP)
People walk by the empty Cafe Du Monde restaurant in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Kristyn Tramel walks her dog Bluey with her 8-year-old son Penn in the French Quarter as they stop at the memorial for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person walks along snow covered Bourbon Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Gilmar Hernandez, left, and Cesar Santos, who spent a night at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport, wait for the next flight out Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
All cancelled flights are shown on the flight board at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
An empty terminal is seen at the closed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Braedon McCants hits Thomas Pickell with a snowball as they snowball fights at Rice University campus Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Snow falls as the memorial for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day in the French Quarter is seen in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person walks to Jackson Square as snow falls in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People take a walk in the neighborhood Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
A person stops to take a picture at Jackson Square as snow falls in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Houston skyline is visible in the background as snow covers downtown streets Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A person uses cross-country skis as he walks through a snow covered hill at Herman Park Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Abbie Schuh and her 8-year-old daughter Louise Delisio get covered in snow as they sled down a hill at Herman Park Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Icicles hang down from a vehicle during an icy winter storm in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
People take a walk in the neighborhood Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Abel Allen, in a Spider-Man suit, and Angel Tircuit walk on a snow covered bridge in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Cars travel on a snow covered highway Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Lesley Martin and her 4-year-old daughter Layla Richardson walk on a snow covered street in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Snow covers Canal Street in downtown New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A car is covered with snow Tuesday morning, Jan. 21, 2025, in Spring, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A couple take a walk at sunrise near the icy Oak Street Beach along the shore of Lake Michigan on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Chicago, as the weather service issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Harahan police respond to a building security alarm during a rare snowstorm in Harahan, La., a suburb of New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A billboard advertises for a heating and air conditioning company Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in St. Joseph, Mich., as bitterly cold temperatures in the single digits are expected over the new few days throughout Michigan. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)
Employee Ola Williams unwraps one of the last pallets of salt inside a Home Depot, as people prepare for a rare and historic snowstorm in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A customer looks for pipe insulation where the shelves are now empty inside a Home Depot, as people prepare for a rare and historic snowstorm in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Blowing and drifting snow batter ice fishing huts along the shipping canal near the Emma Jean Hull Flats Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Benton Harbor, Mich. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)
Crews clear sidewalks from blowing and drifting snow Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Harbor Village in Benton Harbor, Mich. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)
William Amaya sells firewood Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of a winter storm predicted to dump several inches of snow in Southeast Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Passengers wait to check-in for their flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of a winter storm that is expected to bring several inches of snow and will close both of Houston's airports on Tuesday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip))
Vehicles pass a sign displaying Winter storm related operations Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of predicted several inches of snow and possibly ice in Southeast Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Friends and family enjoy a fun morning tubing down the hill behind Sherwood Heights Elementary School Auburn, Maine, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
William Amaya sells firewood out of his pickup truck Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of a winter storm predicted to dump several inches of snow in Southeast Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Snow is cleared as the first half ends of an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Ice builds up along the shore of Lake Michigan before the sunrise Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Chicago as the weather service issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region as high temperatures in many places were expected only to rise into the single digits Monday and Tuesday. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
A pedestrian crosses as a pickup truck equipped with a snow plow waits at the traffic signal after a winter storm plunged daytime high temperatures into the single digits and left up to six inches of snow in its wake Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Passengers check-in for their flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of a winter storm that will close both of Houston's airports Tuesday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip))
Passengers wait to check-in for their flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of a winter storm that is expected to bring several inches of snow and will close both of Houston's airports on Tuesday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip))
Kyle Foss holds his son Kasen as they slide behind Sherwood Heights Elementary School in Auburn, Maine, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, with their family and friends. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Vehicles pass a sign displaying Winter storm related operations Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Houston, ahead of predicted several inches of snow and possibly ice in Southeast Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A person stands on ice at Oak Street Beach along the shore of Lake Michigan to take pictures before the sunrise Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Chicago, as the weather service issued cold weather advisories across the Great Lakes region as high temperatures in many places were expected only to rise into the single digits Monday and Tuesday. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
A motorist clears snow from a utility vehicle after a winter storm plunged daytime high temperatures into the single digits and left up to six inches of snow in its wake Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Hailee Morin holds her child, Guide Monday morning as they zip down the hill behind Sherwood Heights Elementary School Auburn, Maine, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, with their family and friends. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
A cyclist navigates 13th Avenue after a winter storm plunged daytime high temperatures into the single digits and left up to six inches of snow in its wake Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Kristina Foss holds onto her daughter Kayleigh as they plow through snow at the bottom of the hill behind Sherwood Heights Elementary School Auburn, Maine, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, with family and friends. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)