One person has been confirmed dead after storms and high winds hit the Omsk region in southern Russia on Saturday 26 April 2014. The 23-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was hit by a bus-shelter that had been uprooted by high winds in the village of Troitskoye. Another five people were reported to need hospital treatment for a variety of injuries, around 550 buildings were damaged or destroyed and 26 districts left without power affecting about 50 000 people. Winds of 25-30 meters per second were recorded across the Omsk region, combined with two months worth of rainfall within 24 hours. High winds and wet snow were also recorded in the Tomsk, Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions, while the Altai region suffered heavy dust storms.
Damage to the roof of an apartment building in the village of Trinity in the Omsk region of Russia. The Day X.
April is usually considered to be the windiest month in the Omsk region, often followed by dust storms in May and June, but this year's weather is exceptional, and has been described in the Russian press as a 'hurricane'. The storms have apparently been caused by a slowing down of climate cells, that caused a cyclone system to remain over the region for longer than would normally happen.
The location of the Omsk Region. Google Maps.
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