On Monday, January 12, residents across different districts of Ust-Kamenogorsk noticed an unusual color in the snow. Specialists from the East Kazakhstan Region's Department of Ecology collected snow samples for analysis on-site, as reported by Liter.kz citing YK-news.kz.
Mysterious Pink and Yellow Snow Stuns Kazakh City Residents
"No excess of maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants has been detected. According to preliminary findings, the change in snow color is linked to airborne dust and sand particles carried by wind," the Department of Ecology stated.
Data from Kazhydromet, the national hydrometeorological service, indicates that on January 10–11, the city experienced strong northwesterly winds with gusts reaching 15–20 m/s. Ecologists suggest this may have contributed to the transport and deposition of suspended particles onto the snow cover.
Eyewitnesses reported yellow-tinged snow in Glubokoye, Ushanovsky, Stepnoy, Belousovka, Predgorny, Verkhneberezovsky, Pervomaysky, and Ridder. In Verkh-Uba and the settlement of Mirny, the snow had a pinkish hue.
