Hurricane "Nicholas" left more than 150 settlements in the Vitebsk and Grodno regions without electricity /

February 8, Minsk / Vladimir Matveev - BELTA /. Hurricane "Nicholas" left more than 150 settlements in the Vitebsk and Grodno regions without electricity. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Ministry of Emergency Situations press secretary Vitaly Novitsky. According to operational data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as a result of strong gusts of wind up to 25 m/s in the Vitebsk and Grodno regions, 154 settlements were de-energized. However, given that Belarus found itself in the zone of the active cyclone "Nicholas", this statistic may increase in the future. As Vitaly Novitsky noted, situations requiring rescuers' assistance have not yet arisen, except for an incident in Grodno. There, a fallen tree damaged two passenger cars and blocked the entrance to a courtyard. Rescuers who arrived at the scene quickly removed the obstruction. Due to the fact that strong winds are predicted in the coming days mainly in the north and northwest of the republic, the rescue agency recommends that residents of these regions stay at home if possible, move their cars to a safe place, and take other necessary precautions. As reported, the active cyclone, which German meteorologists named "Nicholas," became a cause of unrest in many countries of Northern and Central Europe. The cyclonic vortex, which originated on Monday over the Eastern Atlantic, moved eastward at a speed of 100 km/h, and by this morning its center was already located over Sweden. At the same time, in the southern Baltic Sea, the Danish Straits, northern Germany and Poland, and on the coasts of Lithuania and Latvia, the wind reached hurricane force. By midday, "Nicholas" approached the Gulf of Finland, and its atmospheric fronts brought precipitation to Belarus in the form of wet snow and rain, and a sharp increase in wind speed to 15-22 meters per second, and in some places - up to 25-27 meters per second. This weather will continue at night. It will also be windy on Wednesday afternoon. Subsequently, following the cyclone moving towards Russia, cold air masses from northern latitudes will rush into Belarus. Thus, "Nicholas" will pave the way for a cooling. The Republican Hydrometeorological Center issued a storm warning to all regions of the country. -0-