Post date: Feb 06, 2012 2:36:59 PM
MAGADAN REGION, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 6, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (RU24) - Though skies were clear and sunny in Susuman village in the Magadan region to Russia's Far East, temperatures were at a dangerous low of minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 Farenheit) on Monday (February 6).
As mercury hits minus 50 degrees in Russia's Magadan region in the Far East, frozen pipelines leave local residents without running water.
While Europe is hit by the unusually cold weather, Susuman residents have quietly endured temperatures around minus 50 Celsius since the beginning of the year. The cold has caused pipelines to rupture. Sewage is now flowing straight to people's houses.
"Many people still don't have water or sewage. There is water and steam in stairwells in our apartment blocks. All sewage water is flowing under our houses in the village now because all sewage dumps have frozen completely," said Susuman resident Nadezhda Naidenko.
Susuman residents are making efforts to stay indoors, making infrequent short walks to work or to buy groceries. It doesn't get much warmer during the day with the temperature rising by midday only by a couple of degrees to minus 48 Celsius (minus 54.4 Farenheit).
Local meteorologists, however, have said that such temperatures are typical for that time of the year in Susuman.
"The lowest we had was minus 52. You know, it happens here (from time to time) when we have frost or some snow. Basically, these temperatures correspond with our climate. When there's not much snow we treat it as an anomaly," said Susuman village meteorologist, Irina Yemanova.
The warmer weather is unlikely to come soon. Temperatures are forecast to stay around minus 50 Celsius until at least the end of February.