29 October, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. Almost a ten-day precipitation norm fell over the weekend in the Vitebsk region, the Vitebsk Regional Centre for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring ("Vitebskoblhydromet") informed a BELTA correspondent. The region transitioned from autumn directly into winter due to a southern cyclone. The first snow fell on 26 October. The earliest snowfall recorded in the Vitebsk region was on 23 September 1973. The main amount of precipitation - from 60% to 90% of the ten-day norm - fell in the region on the night of 27-28 October. The largest quantities were recorded in the Senno, Orsha, and other southeastern districts of the region. Snowfalls were accompanied by icy conditions and reduced visibility to 500-700 m – phenomena characteristic of winter. The maximum snow depth the previous day ranged from 6 cm to 12 cm. The first days of the current week are forecast by meteorologists to have temperatures down to minus 3-4 degrees Celsius during the day and night. A daytime thaw is predicted from 1 November, and in the following days, warm air masses will maintain positive temperatures at night as well. The deterioration of weather conditions was predictable and did not cause significant trouble for utility workers, energy providers, and road maintenance crews, but brought more problems for motorists. A total of 73 collisions without injuries occurred across the region over the past weekend, 29 of which were in Vitebsk, reported Olesya Seregina, Head of the Agitation and Propaganda Department of the Traffic Police Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. One of the main contributing factors to the road traffic accidents, besides adverse weather conditions, was the unpreparedness of drivers who had not switched from summer to winter tyres. -0-

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