The key facts
- The first snow and hail came to Kyiv on November 6, with daytime temperatures holding at 3–5 degrees above zero
- The city is operating under electricity outage schedules, including emergency restrictions without prior warning
- According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, by November 6 heating was connected in almost 55% of apartment buildings and in more than 78% of social sector facilities
Snowfall amid utility disruptions
The first snow and hail hit Kyiv on November 6, when the air temperature during the day was only 3–5 degrees above zero. Forecasters predicted wet snow, rain and strong north-westerly winds. The bad weather complicated traffic conditions: large traffic jams formed on the city's roads — Ukrainian Telegram channels report this (according to Life.ru).
Electricity and water
The snowfall coincided with ongoing disruptions to the power system. The city is operating under electricity outage schedules, but due to the difficult situation, power engineers periodically have to impose emergency restrictions — in such cases, residents cannot find out in advance when the lights will come back on in their homes. Power cuts to equipment also affect the operation of utility infrastructure: there are interruptions in the water supply. Ukrainian authorities link the situation to damage to energy facilities.
The heating season is starting more slowly than planned
The heating season in Kyiv formally began back on October 16, but residential buildings only started being connected on November 2. According to city authorities, launching the entire centralized heating system takes just over a week. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, by November 6 heat had been supplied to almost 55% of apartment buildings, while more than 78% of social sector facilities were already connected to the heating supply.
Background: the massive water outage on November 3
Earlier, Life.ru reported that on November 3, Kyiv faced a massive water supply outage: due to damage to energy infrastructure, the main facilities of the city water utility were left without power. Thus, the snowfall on November 6 came to a city where problems with water and electricity have been ongoing for several days, and heating is connected in only about half of residential buildings.
