Heavy snowfall in Russia

Russia disprupted by snow! It would have to be both unusual and extreme to cause this much disruption in the land of snow and ice.

200km-long traffic jam paralyzes Russian freeway

Thousands of drivers have been trapped since Thursday in a huge traffic jam on a major freeway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, caused by heavy snowfall.

RT,

2 December, 2012

At its worst point the line of trucks stretched 200 kilometers, starting in the Moscow region and ending in the Tver region.

The Emergencies ministry dispatched some 175 rescuers and 100 snow-cleaning vehicles in response to the heavy snowfall.

On Saturday morning the ministry said, that the situation on the M-10 federal road had been stabilized, stressing that authorities had provided trapped drivers with hot food, shelter, medical help and fuel. But according to local media, which managed to speak to drivers, some of them had rather different experiences, saying that they didn’t get any help. Though, other motorists reportedly saw rescuers handing out hot drinks and sandwiches near the city of Tver.

Meanwhile, volunteers from Tver have already started to collect food and water for blocked drivers. According to traffic police, their patrols will help with delivering provisions to motorists.

The ministry has also recommended drivers to temporarily restrain from using the M-10 federal road, choosing the M-9 instead.

Some of the truck drivers have already spent 3 days stuck on the road. Media reports suggest the situation is next to critical, as drivers have no food, water, and are running out of fuel.

The heavy congestion started forming on Thursday after heavy snowfall hit Russia’s west, culminating in massive downpours of rain and snow on Friday. The situation was aggravated by strong winds and a thaw, which made the snow more difficult to clear.

The regional Emergencies center planned to normalize the grave situation on the M-10 federal road by 6pm on December the 2nd, but many drivers remained trapped.

Most of the trucks in this state don’t have winter tires and can't grip to the slippery road, limiting their ability to move.

In the meantime, according to traffic police the gigantic congestion on the M-10 federal road has slowly begun to disperse and vehicles are starting to move slowly. But there are still some problem areas, where trucks are limited to speeds of around 5 km/h.