Unrelenting snowfall in Russia in 2013 buried many cities under 10 feet or more of snow. Entire apartment blocks, markets, stores and offices were buried under snow overnight with snow accumulations so high, residents could not get out of their doorways.
“Banks of snow were as high as two people put together, reaching the second-story windows of some apartment buildings. Cars, stores, garages were blocked. Norilsk metropolitan workers were forced to dig passageways through the snowbanks to create access between the outside world and the barricaded city. Meanwhile, icicles up to three feet in length have formed off the ledges of buildings, breaking at random and causing a lethal hazard for pedestrians below.”
In 2013, Russia saw extreme winter not witnessed since 1938. The coldest-ever December in Russia led to the evacuation of hundreds of people in Siberia, where temperatures fell below -122 degrees Fahrenheit (-50 Celsius). More than 90 Russians died and more than 600 people were taken to area hospitals due to the extremely dangerous weather, which is 50 degrees below the December norm.
Check out the pictures below of the massive snow drifts.