On January 4, the Almaty Emergency Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan closed the roads leading to natural and infrastructure sites, which are popular among local people and tourists, due to the high risk of avalanches, the press office of the Almaty Emergency Department reported.
These measures are justified by a storm warning of Kazhydromet. Based on the weather forecast, the Department reported the snowfall exceeding the norm in the area. Therefore, a belt of unstable snow-cover has formed in the mountains of Almaty, where large masses of snow may slide rapidly down.
The Department reported that for safety reasons, the roads to Big Almaty Lake and the Shymbulak ski resort are currently closed and the checkpoints were built. The leaflets «Avalance safety tips» will be distributed among visitors at the checkpoints to the Medeo ice skating rink, however the residents are urged to refrain from visiting Medeo.
165 avalanche prone zones in the Almaty Mountain range have been recorded. The most dangerous zones are the Medeo ice skating rink, the Shymbulak ski resort and Big Almaty Lake.
