I left work early yesterday to go to the bank. I was a fortuitous move as the weather was closing in further. The snow had started to fall as I arrived at the school in the morning and fell steadily such that about 20+ cm had built up against the window by the time this picture was taken about 1030 later that morning.
Oskemen Street Scene
Heading in the town, it was difficult to see far ahead through the bus windscreen and stepping off, I encountered first hand the drifts that the traffic had been bursting through. The snow was light and dry and, even though the drifts were thigh deep in places across pavements, it was easy to walk through. The difficulty was in making out where to go. Park benches and road edges could not be seen and the surface was a uniform smooth white. Looking at the entrance covers over doors to apartment blocks, I could see that by 4pm almost two feet or 50cm had built up in the day on flat surfaces sheltered by the trees from the wind blasts.
Blizzard at Irtysh Hotel
After finalising preparations for the next school day, I received a text at 9pm while the storm still continued, telling me that the schools would be shut today in the city and not to bother turning up to work. Snow Day!
Snow piled up!
The clearing of snow has started this morning. There is a lot of the white stuff to move. Down by the River Irtysh, the promenade is covered in drifts and the river bed has white ice on it and little ice flows on the surface.
Icy River Irtysh
