In the Sakha region, located in northeastern Siberia and home to Yakutsk, one of the coldest cities in the world, temperatures have dropped below minus 50 degrees Celsius, according to the region's weather stations.
A worker cleans up in Moscow, Russia on December 3, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Almost all of Sakha lies in permafrost. In the region's capital, Yakutsk, some 5,000 kilometers east of Moscow, temperatures range from minus 44 degrees Celsius to minus 48 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures of minus 50C have become less common in recent years due to climate change, with permafrost showing increasing signs of thawing.
Meanwhile, in the Russian capital, some of the heaviest snowfall ever seen caused delays at several airports on Monday, with many runways covered in thick snow.
At least 54 flights were delayed and five others were canceled at the capital's three largest airports, RIA news agency reported. Temperatures in Moscow are forecast to drop to around minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit) this weekend.
Heavy snowfall also caused hundreds of flights in Germany to be delayed over the weekend. Photo: MI
In addition to Russia, several European countries are also facing unusual snowstorms. In Germany, heavy snowfall caused serious disruption to air traffic last weekend.
Hundreds of flights were suspended in Munich on Saturday as severe winter weather swept across southern Germany, with most flights later resuming, DPA news agency reported.
In the Netherlands, hundreds of flights to and from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport were canceled on Sunday due to heavy snowfall. Schiphol's website said nearly 150 flights were canceled. Dutch airline KLM said it canceled 65 European flights in the afternoon and evening.
Glasgow Airport in Scotland said flight operations were suspended due to snow overnight on Friday and into Saturday morning, before being restored on Sunday.
In the United States, the International Ski Federation said heavy snow also wiped out the course at the men's World Cup Ski Jumping event in Beaver Creek, Colorado on Saturday, causing major problems for the tournament.
Huy Hoang (according to TASS, Reuters, DPA)
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