Wind with dust caused rose-coloured snowfalls in Stavropol Territory

The reason of multi-coloured snowfalls in the Stavropol Territory was a strong gusty wind, which lifted up clouds of dust into the air. This was reported by the local Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ("Minprirody").

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that today several districts of the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories saw rose-coloured snow. Experts tried to find out the reasons of this phenomenon.

It was reported that the results of the studies made by the Federal Institution "Centre of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Stavropol Territory" will be known by March 10. However, the "Minprirody" stated already today that "a small excess of dust content in the air was registered," the "Gazeta.Ru" writes.

"This particular dust mixed up with snow and dropped today together with the precipitation," added the Ministry and emphasized that "no excessive acidic and alkali indicators were revealed in the snow," and "there are no grounds to speak about any acidic or alkali deposits or about any other reasons for anxiety among the residents of the Territory," the ITAR-TASS reports.

Let us remind you that last March a number of regions of Northern Caucasus saw yellow rains. According to eyewitnesses, the rains which left yellow deposits dropped put in a number of districts of Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia and in the Stavropol Territory (in particular, in the cities of Nevinnomyssks and Pyatigorsk). Then, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the local Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) that similar phenomena are no rarity for Northern Caucasus. Presumably, the deposits contained yellow sandy dust from the Arabian Peninsula.

However, earlier the region saw cases of hazardous precipitations. Thus, in April 2005 the Stavropol Territory and adjacent dwelling settlements suffered from alkali rains. It then proved impossible to establish the source of increased nitrogen in precipitations.