Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

This morning, snow covered Baku like a white carpet, turning it into a fairytale city. However, it was hardly a pleasant surprise for Baku residents, not counting the children of course. A strong snowstorm, which began late in the evening, covered everything in sight for some eight hours when everyone was sleeping.

However, the capital's roadways had been cleared carefully in the morning. Azeryolservis provides for the uninterrupted and safe movement of vehicles on roads, bridges, and road junctions, its spokesman Punkhan Mursaliyev said.

Nevertheless, 24 road accidents occurred in Baku on January 30. Employees of the Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry rescued three people who could not get out of their car on the Sumgayit-Novkhani road. Moreover, the traffic police evacuated people who were stranded in their vehicles on the Baku-Shamakhi road.

Because of the snowy weather, Baku traffic police is working in emergency mode.

"The traffic police urge the drivers to pay more attention to the tire pressure, replace them with seasonal ones, and use the chain if necessary," Baku State Traffic Police department head Vagif Asadov said.

"We ask drivers to use dipped beam. Drivers should be especially careful on the slopes and climbs, not move at a high speed, and generally try to use public transport rather than personal cars," he added.

Baku Metro is working in normal mode, and is also ready for the predicted worsening weather conditions.

The weather conditions will not affect the Azerbaijani railways, spokesman of the company Nadir Azmammadov reported, adding that trains from Moscow and Astara arrived according to the schedule, and Azerbaijan's trains are expected to arrive in Tbilisi, Balaken, and Boyuk Kesik.

"There are no delays in the implementation of both local and international flights," he said. "The arrival and dispatch of the trains are carried out according to the prescribed schedule."

Despite the heavy snowfall in Baku, Heydar Aliyev International Airport continues to work normally.

Weather conditions are less gentle in the regions of Azerbaijan compared to its capital. Last night, snow fell mostly in the northern regions of Azerbaijan. Snow depth reached 52 centimeters in Nabrani, 23 centimeters in Lankaran, 21 centimeters in Lerik, 19 centimeters in Altiagaj, and 18 centimeters in Guba.

Forecasters predict unstable weather conditions which will last till the end of the week.