A State of Emergency was declared in a large section of eastern Russia late last week. The Moscow Times reported at least 150,000 people were without electricity in Vladivostok. Authorities called it the worst ice storm in decades as several days of freezing rain left a coating of ice more than a half-inch thick on power lines, streets and trees. City officials in Vladivostok said it could take days for power to be returned.
Vladivostok is a city of 600,000 people on Russia's east coast. It is a major port city on the Sea of Japan and is also the terminus of Russia's famous Trans-Siberian railroad. Vladivostok's location is approximately the same latitude as Sioux Falls. The region has a four-season climate but it is significantly influenced by the ocean. Freezing weather is common in winter, but there is less extreme cold compared to our climate. Weather there is generally wetter than here, with more consistent, less extreme temperatures.
