Heavy snowfall and strong winds over the past 24 hours disrupted power supply in 251 localities, Belarus’s Energy Ministry said.
A total of 997 transformer substations, 30 farms and six boiler houses were left without electricity.
“Outages were recorded mainly in the Vitebsk, Minsk and Homyel regions. Strong snowfall, blizzard conditions and squally winds, with gusts reaching 15–20 m/s and in some places up to 24 m/s overnight, led to trees and branches falling onto power lines and causing breaks. The areas most affected by the severe weather were the Polatsk, Maladzechna, Slutsk, Minsk, Rechytsa and Zhlobin districts,” the ministry said.
As of 7 a.m. on January 9, restoration work was continuing in 44 localities. A total of 76 emergency crews were involved in dealing with the aftermath of the cyclone.
Difficult weather conditions are expected to persist in Belarus today. Minsktrans has already reported disruptions to public transport services. Power engineers will continue working in an enhanced mode. The Energy Ministry has set up an operational headquarters to monitor the situation and take additional measures to restore electricity supply as quickly as possible.
