Frosty fences: Shrovetide week will be abnormally cold
Carnival week will be frosty in most Russian regions. The cold weather has returned to Moscow and the Moscow region: the lowest temperature will be at night on Wednesday, February 18, up to -25 degrees. And residents of most of Siberia will face 30-degree frosts. Temperatures below normal are expected in Yakutia and the Magadan region. At the same time, residents of the Omsk region are expecting rain. According to insurance companies, the number of requests for compensation for damaged property as a result of abnormal weather has increased fivefold this winter. What weather anomalies await Russians in the near future and how they affect tourists are described in the Izvestia article.
Where there will be frost, and where there will be a thaw
In the north and in the middle zone of European Russia, frosty weather will prevail in the first half of the Carnival week with temperatures four to nine degrees below normal, the Hydrometeorological Center of the Russian Federation reported. In the northern part of Yakutia and some areas of the Magadan region, frost is expected to be three to eight degrees below normal.
The Carnival week began with frosts for residents of the Yaroslavl region — in some places the temperature dropped to -30 degrees, the Ministry of Regional Security of the region said.
At the same time, the south of Siberia began this week with a thaw, Alexander Shuvalov, head of the Meteo forecasting center, told Izvestia. But in the middle of the week, frosts of up to -30 degrees will come sharply there.
— The most severe frosts, as always, are in the north-east of Yakutia — Oymyakon, Verkhoyansk, Delankir, to the continental part of Kolyma (Magadan region. — Ed.) and Chukotka. It will stay there - 40-45 degrees," the meteorologist explained.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Omsk Region warned that snow, sleet and rain are expected in the region from February 16 to 18, and sleet and ice are possible in some areas. According to the Hydrometeorological Center, rain and sleet will also fall in the Rostov region during this period.
But in the Kuban, the temperature will rise to +17 degrees, Alexander Shuvalov added.
In the Moscow region, the cold weather will continue throughout the Carnival week, Tatiana Pozdnyakova, a leading specialist at the Meteonosti news agency, told Izvestia.
— The air temperature will be below the climatic norm: in the middle of the week it will be 10 degrees, and at the end it will be five to seven degrees. This temperature is unusual for the end of February. I would like the thaw to return to us, but it is not there yet," the forecaster noted.
No significant precipitation is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 17 and 18, and frosts will begin to strengthen, added Tatiana Pozdnyakova.
— On Wednesday night, it will be - 20-22 degrees in Moscow, up to -25 degrees in the region, and the daytime temperature, as on the eve, is 10-12 degrees. On Thursday, February 19, the day will be very stormy, with snow, heavy in places, a blizzard is possible," said the meteorologist.
Insurance claims due to the weather
This winter, due to frequent snowfalls, Russians reported damage to their insured homes five times more often than last year, AlfaStrakhovanie told Izvestia.
"The largest number of insurance events was recorded in the Krasnodar Territory, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd and Kemerovo regions," the company noted. — In most cases, hurricane-force winds caused the damage: gusts damaged the roofs of private houses, tore off facade elements and disrupted building structures. Some episodes were related to the snow load, which led to the deformation of the roofs.
The causes of damage largely depend on the region, said Tatiana Khodeeva, head of the AlfaStrakhovanie Property Insurance Department. Thus, in the southern and central regions of the Russian Federation, the effects of strong winds and precipitation are more often recorded, in Siberia and the Urals — snow loads. Even a few hours of gale force winds can lead to serious costs for the restoration of the roof and facade.
Tourists faced with bad weather
The Murmansk-Teriberka highway has been closed since February 9 due to strong winds, snowfall and poor visibility. As a result, tourists, including foreigners, could not leave the village. They began to be exported on February 15.
Prior to this period, temporary accommodation facilities were organized for people where they could receive food and medical care, the governor of the Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis, said on social networks.
— Yesterday (February 15th. More than 280 passenger cars and minibuses were driven through the closed area. Today there is another (column. — Ed.), including with buses, will move towards Murmansk, — said the head of the region.
By now, all the tourists have left, the government of the Murmansk region told Izvestia.
Local residents in social networks recalled that such a situation with trips to Teriberka occurs annually due to the weather, and blamed the guides for the situation.
— Is that what they think about when they drag tourists at this time? It is always January, February, March with snowstorms in the direction of Teriberka. There hasn't been a single year without them," one of the locals wrote.
The highway is indeed swept every year, said another local resident. However, this is the first time that it has been so serious and for a long time.
The situation with blocking tourists in Teriberka is largely due to the fact that a significant number of travelers travel along this route in private cars, not always taking into account the specifics of the road, Sergei Romashkin, General director of the Dolphin tour operator, member of the Board of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), explained to Izvestia.
— In winter, the highway is regularly covered with snow, and such cases have been occurring very often over the past three or four years, — he said. — For northern and remote regions, such situations are largely a seasonal norm. The weather conditions here are highly variable, and it is impossible to completely eliminate the risks.
According to Sergey Romashkin, Kamchatka can also be attributed to regions with increased weather instability, where routes are regularly postponed due to snowfalls and difficult weather conditions. Even the use of off-road vehicles does not always guarantee the availability of remote locations.
— Weather restrictions are also possible in the North Caucasus, especially in winter. In general, any destinations connected with northern, mountainous and snowy territories are potentially subject to temporary restrictions on transport accessibility," the expert said.
Oksana Bulakh, Commercial Director of the Alean tour operator, PCT expert, confirmed that snowstorms and unstable weather in winter most often affect the availability of locations and logistics in the Murmansk Region (Teriberka), Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Gorny Altai, and Chukotka.
"When planning trips to these regions, it is necessary to take into account the weather conditions and be prepared for possible travel delays," she said.
According to her, local hosting tour operators know the natural features of the territory, analyze weather forecasts and, if necessary, postpone scheduled excursions or offer alternative locations.
— The growing number of disorganized tourists who do not know all the nuances and cannot assess the risks leads to the fact that various travel incidents are becoming more frequent, Oksana Bulakh is sure.
Experts also consider the popular tourist village of Oymyakon in Yakutia to be among the unstable destinations due to the weather.
In case of delays on the route due to the weather, the tour operator is not obliged to pay a penalty or fine, but this does not deprive the tourist of the right to refund the cost of services, Boris Feldman, Director of Legal Affairs at DestraLegal, explained to Izvestia.
— If the trip is organized independently, the relationship arises separately with the airline and the hotel, — said the lawyer. — If the flight is cancelled, the carrier must refund the ticket price or offer an alternative. In addition, in case of a long delay, he is obliged to provide food and accommodation. And the hotel has the right to charge a fee for the actual accommodation provided.
Thus, compensation is possible in terms of services not provided, but bad weather alone is not a reason to collect it.
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