The mean temperature reached 7.2 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit), up from a norm of 3.3 degrees for the month, meteorologist Matthew MacDonald, reached by telephone at the Vancouver airport, told AFP.

The previous record high of 6.3 degrees was reached four times, most recently in 2006.

Vancouver saw 13 days in which temperatures went above 10 degrees (50 degrees Fahrenheit) far more than the statistical average of three days. The mercury rose as high as 14.1 degrees and did not fall below -2.7 degrees.

Equally alarming, the city did not get any snow throughout the month, while it normally records 16.6 centimetres (6.5 inches) of snowfall in January. Instead the city and the Olympic venues have been drenched with rain, worrying Games officials, athletes and fans alike.

"It feels more like March or April, weather-wise," MacDonald said.

The mild January was partly due to the warm weather phenomenon known as El Nino that has swept over Vancouver since the beginning of winter, he added.