A blizzard has been raging in Ukraine since Sunday — traffic was blocked on 14 highways, and power outages were recorded in 16 regions. The most difficult situation is in the Poltava, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kyiv, and Kirovohrad regions.
This was reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko.
Rescuers have already towed 840 cars out of the snow trap, and 1 370 trucks are waiting in temporary parking lots. The Minister of Internal Affairs asks to avoid trips between regions and not to use private cars without special need.
Odesa region
The most difficult situation is in the north and south of the region — here snow drifts reach one and a half meters. Near the village of Udobne, border guards evacuated 42 people from buses, including 10 children. With the help of a snowmobile, rescuers rescued six people on the Izmail — Reni highway.
At night, the precipitation stopped, but the snow fell so much that armored personnel carriers were called in at some swept places. A 100-meter long pipe fell in one of the boiler houses due to strong wind.
In total, rescuers towed more than 500 vehicles, including 14 buses and 12 emergency vehicles. 1 624 people received help, including 93 children.
Mykolaiv region
In the region, traffic was blocked on 10 sections of roads, as drifts reached two meters in some places. 75 cars were towed away by units of the State Emergency Service.
Cherkasy region
Due to the bad weather, the movement of cars near the city of Kamyanka became difficult — almost 40 trucks were stopped at the tailings. Rescuers deployed mobile heating stations.
Kirovohrad region
Near the village of Velyka Vyska, 30 trucks are parked on the side of the road. In total, rescuers towed 164 cars, 293 people received help.
Kyiv
The second level of danger has been declared in the capital due to strong wind. General education institutions work in a mixed mode — offline and online.
A strong wind damaged the canvas of the countryʼs largest flag. It will be replaced with a new one as soon as the weather conditions improve.
Due to the snowfall, the entry of large vehicles into Kyiv was prohibited.
Crimea
The storm that began on Sunday in Crimea temporarily left almost half a million people without electricity — thatʼs a quarter of the inhabitants of the peninsula. According to experts, this is one of the biggest storms in recent years.
In Yevpatoria and Belbek, the coastal zone was flooded, including resort infrastructure and residential buildings. In the Black Sea region, several sections of the road were flooded.
Weathermenʼs forecast
At the end of November and the beginning of December, atmospheric fronts and air masses of different properties will pass through Ukraine, as forecaster Ihor Kibalchich predicts. Because of this, contrasts in air temperature, fluctuations in atmospheric pressure are expected in the country, and on Monday there will be gusty winds in almost all regions.
Ice and snow drifts are expected on the roads.
- The Odesa region has been suffering from a blizzard since the morning of November 26. Traffic was completely blocked there on the M-15 Odesa — Reni highway, and trucks were prohibited from entering the M-28 Odesa — Yuzhne road. Several road accidents have already occurred in the region. Due to bad weather, 116 settlements were left without electricity.
- Forecasters predict heavy snowfall in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Odesa regions, and in the Sumy, Poltava, Kirovohrad, and Mykolaiv regions heavy sleet, rain and sometimes ice. Blizzards and snowdrifts are expected. The government has already created an operational headquarters.