Workers clear snow in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, Jan. 19, 2026. The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East has experienced an extreme snowstorm, the worst in decades, with snow depths exceeding two meters in some areas, reported the Kamchatka-inform agency on Monday. (Government of Kamchatka Territory/Handout via Xinhua)
VLADIVOSTOK, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East has experienced an extreme snowstorm, the worst in decades, with snow depths exceeding two meters in some areas, reported the Kamchatka-inform agency on Monday.
In December 2025, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Kamchatka Krai that encompasses the Kamchatka Peninsula, received 370 millimeters of snow, more than three times the monthly average. From Jan. 1 to 16, 2026, the city received 163 millimeters of snow, with a snow depth of 170 centimeters, and in some areas the snow depth exceeded 250 centimeters.
An official from the Kamchatka Krai's hydro-meteorological and environmental monitoring department said that the extreme snowstorms that occurred on the Kamchatka Peninsula during the aforementioned period were extremely rare, with the last similar event occurring in the early 1970s.
Residents in multiple districts were snowed in after the storm, forcing some to shovel their way out of building entrances, while others began to go outside through the windows of the lower floors.
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has recently declared a state of emergency, disrupting air traffic and public transportation. The city administration has called on residents to keep children indoors, and classes in schools and universities have been cancelled or moved online. ■
Workers clear snow in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, Jan. 19, 2026. The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East has experienced an extreme snowstorm, the worst in decades, with snow depths exceeding two meters in some areas, reported the Kamchatka-inform agency on Monday. (Government of Kamchatka Territory/Handout via Xinhua)