Officials reported on Monday that road conditions in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Kamchatka, are still extremely treacherous following a series of intense winter storms that hit the Far Eastern peninsula last week, unleashing a combination of snow, ice, and winds as efforts are underway to restore normalcy in the remote region.
“The state of the city’s roads is critical,” said Kamchatka region Governor Vladimir Solodov during an emergency session. “I have set a deadline of January 21 for the clearing of all main roads to restore regular traffic flow.”
City officials declared a state of emergency in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Thursday after two elderly individuals lost their lives due to falling snow. The mayor attributed their deaths to property management companies, accusing them of delays in snow removal.
Last week, several low-pressure systems developed over the Sea of Okhotsk, near northern Japan, and swept through Kamchatka and other areas of Far East Russia, resulting in strong winds and substantial snowfall.
Meteorologists reported that the amount of snowfall in Kamchatka since early January has reached levels not recorded in the past 50 years.
In December, the city experienced three times the average monthly snowfall, and from January 1 to 16, snowfall was about 150% higher than normal for that period. The typical snow depth in the city climbed to 170 centimeters (5.5 feet), with drifts surpassing 2.5 meters (8 feet) in some neighborhoods.
“The last time we witnessed something of this magnitude was over 50 years ago, in the early 1970s,” remarked Vera Polyakova, head of Kamchatka’s Hydrometeorology Center. “Such conditions are extremely rare based on contemporary observations.”
Governor Solodov instructed schools in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to resume as soon as feasible. He also directed city officials to monitor food and fuel supply movements manually until full recovery could be confirmed.
Solodov cautioned that icicles dangling from building eaves still pose a threat to pedestrians nearby, while Polyakova mentioned that the extended period of snowfall had led to local avalanche risks in several residential areas.
