28 December, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. Power supply restoration in settlements of Vitebsk region affected by wind has been completed, BELTA was informed at RUP "Vitebskenergo". Significant wind load caused power supply disruptions on 27-28 December in Verkhnedvinsk, Rossony, Polotsk, Orsha, Shumilino, and Gorodok districts. 416 settlements, 58 power lines (PL), 835 transformer substations, and 60 farms were disconnected. Repair work, which began the day before, continued throughout the day today. 122 repair crews comprising 540 people and 149 units of equipment were involved. Mainly, power supply disruptions were associated with gale-force winds, with gusts reaching 19-23 m/s, or 82 km/h. According to eyewitnesses, there were even winter thunderstorms in some areas of the region. "The cause of strong wind gusts was the change of air masses. Currently, a homogeneous air mass has already formed in the region, however, moderate wind gusts of up to 14 m/s will still persist in the region in the coming days," reported Lyudmila Borodenok, leading engineer-forecaster of the Vitebsk Regional Centre for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. -0-

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