After the abnormal heat since July 13, Belarus was hit by destructive thunderstorms.
Belhydromet issued the highest red level of danger for the first time this year on July 13. On Saturday, heavy rains with gusty winds occurred in several areas. According to the Ministry of Energy, wind speeds during the storm reached 108 kilometers per hour. Falling trees and branches caused numerous power line breaks and damaged poles.
The most significant damage from the bad weather was in the Grodno and Minsk regions, as well as the capital city, Minsk. The next day, the Gomel and Mogilev regions were hit by the storm, although reports of strong winds came from all regions of the country. Meteorologists called this storm a mesocyclone, while Belarusians dubbed it the "apocalypse." Social media users actively shared videos of the storm: huge trees bending under the wind, whirlwinds of leaves and debris, and darkened skies in the middle of the day resembling scenes from a disaster movie.
The consequences of the thunderstorm front were immense: due to fallen trees, trains were delayed by three hours in the evening, and by the morning of July 15, more than 1,200 settlements were still without power. In total, 2,000 settlements in the east and southeast of the country were left without electricity. A vast number of homes and buildings were damaged by the storm. Falling trees on railway tracks and power lines caused delays in long-distance trains and the cancellation of suburban electric trains. Emergency services cleared more than 2,000 hectares of fallen forest.
In the Brest region, large hail fell, with some hailstones reaching 7 cm in diameter. A powerful hurricane that day resulted in the death of a child in a camp in Rechitsa and injuries to six more children due to falling trees. All the injured were hospitalized, according to the Ministry of Health. According to the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations, six people, including two children, died as a result of the destructive storm, and 15 people were injured.
Cataclysms are rapidly increasing across the globe. However, this process is uneven, so for a while, there were still areas where climatic anomalies were not as apparent as, for example, in China, India, or the USA. The territory of Belarus is a characteristic example. Until recently, there were only signs of increasing disasters here, but now they have gained momentum and are showing their power.
Unfortunately, no area on Earth, even those currently not experiencing extreme weather, will escape a similar fate if we, humanity, do not eliminate the cause of the increasing climate catastrophes on the planet. The true reasons for the climate and geological processes on Earth were detailed at the international forum "Global Crisis. The Responsibility." We have a chance to contain the cataclysms and save many human lives. Let’s use it before it’s too late!