Record snow  in Kazakhstan
© sardarov.nurtasRecord snow in Kazakhstan
Cars buried. Streets abandoned. Snow thickness more than three times the norm for this time of year. See these photos of Nur-Sultan ... you may be shocked at how big and modern this city is.

Heavy snowfall and blizzard in the city of Nur-Sultan this January beat the previous record set 56 years ago, said chief of the department of short-term forecasts of the Kazgidromet Alua Sakhanova.





Today the snow thickness is 55 mm, while the norm is 16 mm. The previous record of 51 mm was set in 1964. According to the forecast for February, average temperature and the volume of snow are expected to stay at the normal level (-14 °C, 15 mm). Snow and blizzard are expected in this month, she said. (Note: The article I'm quoting from says 55 mm, which is only 2.16 inches. The photos make it obvious that there was a helluva lot more snow than that.)


Several cities of Kazakhstan were almost completely covered with snow at the end of January, and the Karaganda-Astana highway simply ceased to exist. Cars were buried under a huge layer of snow, so many drivers simply left their cars and traveled to the nearest settlements on foot.

1,159 special machinery were mobilized on January 28 for clean up works in the city.


Thanks to Thomas Krassman and PP the Phoenix for these links.