Heavy snowfall in the Moscow region, caused by Cyclone Olga, led to massive road accidents. Dozens of people were injured and one was killed. On February 7, bad weather also hit the Tula, Orenburg, Samara regions, Udmurtia and Ingushetia, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. In the Urals, Volga region and Siberia, traffic had to be blocked on some regional and federal highways. Heavy snowfall will last in Moscow until the middle of the night on February 8, 20-25% of the monthly precipitation may fall in the capital, meteorologists noted.
Road collapse
Heavy snowfall, which began on Wednesday, February 7, led to major accidents in the capital region. On the M-4 highway towards Moscow, not far from Stupino, an accident involving about 30 cars occurred, a source told Izvestia. Cars and trucks were literally slammed into each other, cars turned into a pile of metal, and trucks were twisted. As a result, one person died, about 20 were injured, the publication's interlocutor said. Employees of the State Traffic Inspectorate are establishing the circumstances of the accident, said official representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Irina Volk.
“For cars caught in a traffic jam at the 86th kilometer of M-4, an exit was organized along the oncoming lane of the blocked section with an exit onto Kashirskoe Highway,” the press service of the state company Avtodor told Izvestia. “All participants received the necessary assistance.”
On another highway near Moscow, the M-8 Kholmogory, 11 traffic accidents occurred. In the largest of them, at the 45th kilometer in the Pushkino area, 22 cars collided. Four people were injured there.
Intense snowfall in the capital will last until the evening, there will be less snow at night, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, chief specialist of the Moscow Meteorological Bureau, told Izvestia.
— It may fall 20-25% of the monthly norm for the Moscow region. But the distribution of snow across the capital will be uneven, – she said.
The duration of snowfall in the capital region will depend on the speed of movement of Cyclone Olga, the center of which turned out to be very close to Moscow, said the head of the Meteo forecasting center, Alexander Shuvalov. After midnight, the center of the cyclone will move towards Nizhny Novgorod – then the snowfall will begin to subside. According to him, “there will be a total of 10-12 mm of precipitation.”
“This is equivalent to an increase in snow cover of up to 10 cm. So on Thursday morning the height of snowdrifts at Moscow weather stations may exceed 60 cm,” he noted.
And the leading specialist at the Phobos weather center, Evgeny Tishkovets, predicted that In the capital, by Thursday morning the record set in 1995, when 9.5 millimeters of precipitation fell in one day, may be broken. According to him, snow will continue until the middle of the night on February 8.
The Traffic Organization Center (TCOC) of the Moscow government recommended moving around the city on Wednesday and Thursday by public transport, which should operate normally. Motorists are urged to be careful and avoid sudden maneuvers.
As soon as the snow stops, it will start to get colder, story by Alexander Shuvalov.
— We can’t avoid 20-degree frosts this weekend. At least during the night and morning hours,” he emphasized. — To compensate, there will be plenty of sunshine over the weekend and Friday. The pressure will increase and the clouds will dissipate.
Snow all over the country
Heavy snowfalls over the past 24 hours also occurred in the Tula, Orenburg, Samara regions, Udmurtia, Bashkiria and Ingushetia, reported the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Since the morning of February 7, traffic was blocked on sections of regional and federal highways in the Urals, Volga region, and Siberia.
Due to abnormal snowfalls, the number of emergency calls using devices connected to the ERA-GLONASS system has also increased, the company told Izvestia.
In particular, 374 calls were recorded in Moscow per day, which is five times more than usual, in the Moscow region – 307 (4.5 times more than usual). And in the Volga Federal District there were 157 calls – twice the standard indicators.
The Hydrometeorological Center of Russia warned that On February 8, snowfalls will continue in some regions. In particular, in the Orenburg region there will be strong winds – up to 27 m/s, severe snowstorms and drifts on the roads.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations recommended that citizens move carefully in icy conditions, slowly, and also not walk under the roofs of houses. It is advisable to have reflective elements on clothing.
“It is important to maintain distance and speed limits,” the department reminded.
And the State Traffic Inspectorate urged motorists to remember the speed limit. Especially – slow down to a complete stop when approaching pedestrian crossings in order to safely let pedestrians pass.
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