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Warm Weather in Kamchatka Triggers Rapid Snowmelt After Winter of Historic Storms

kamgov.ru

Streets across the capital of the Far East Kamchatka Peninsula have flooded after a weekend warm-up triggered rapid snowmelt.

Powerful winter storms buried Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky under several feet of snow in January, much of which was never fully cleared, as videos shared on social media in recent days showed.

Meteorologists said the snowmelt was expected to accelerate on Monday as temperatures rose to 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 Fahrenheit), though colder weather is forecast later in the week.

Russians in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky posted videos of cars driving through muddy, brown floodwaters covering city streets, while some locals were seen wading through the water in high rubber boots.

Last Tuesday, Mayor Yevgeny Belyayev instructed municipal services to prepare for the thaw by continuing snow removal and deploying heavy equipment to pump out water.

At least one woman was killed in the city last week after being struck by snow falling from a rooftop.

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