Weather tracker: Record snowfall in eastern Russia leaves people stranded

Town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gets 6 feet of snow in places, burying cars and cutting off roads and buildings

A record-breaking snowfall event unfolded in far eastern Russia last week when the town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, located on the Kamchatka peninsula's east coast, received more than 6 feet (1.8 metres) of lying snow in places.

Strong winds accompanying the snowfall caused extreme drifting of more than 10 feet against buildings and cars. Two key ingredients combined to cause such an extreme snowfall event. Strong Pacific low pressures dragged moist air from the tropics northwards, which clashed with cold Arctic air already over the region.