The Ministry of Environment reports: “As predicted, due to a powerful cyclone, snow was observed throughout the republic on the nights of February 20 and 21, very heavy in some areas. A blizzard was also observed, with low horizontal visibility and black ice on the roads of the republic.
The amount of precipitation amounted to:
- In Shirak, 10-24mm, snow cover height reached 22-40cm,
- In Gegharkunik: precipitation: 10-40mm, snow cover height: 15-40cm,
- In Lori: precipitation: 13-27mm, snow cover height: 30-36cm,
- In Tavush: precipitation: 9-30mm, snow cover height: 30-45cm (Bagratshe: up to 5cm),
- In the Aragatsotn Lenal regions, precipitation is 10-27 mm and snow cover height is 50-70 cm. In the high Lenal regions of Aragatsotn, precipitation- is 10-27 mm, snow cover height is 60-120 cm.
- In the pre-Lenal regions of Aragatsotn, precipitation: 9–15 mm, snow cover height: 5–12 cm,
- In the mountainous areas of Kotayk, precipitation is 15–28 mm, and the snow cover height is 40–70 cm. In the foothill regions of Kotayk, precipitation- is 20-50mm, snow cover height is 10-15cm,
- In Ararat, Armavir: precipitation: 14-17mm, snow cover height: 15-20cm,
- In the mountainous regions of Vayots Dzor, precipitation is 8–10 mm, and the snow cover height is 40–60 cm. In the foothill regions of Vayots Dzor, precipitation- is 6–9 mm, snow cover height is 8–10 cm.
- In the valley regions of Syunik, precipitation is 2-6 mm, snow cover height is 1-4 cm; in the foothills of Syunik, precipitation is 3-5 mm, snow cover height is 4-6 cm; in Yerevan, precipitation is 15 mm, snow cover height is 15-18 cm.
In separate areas, precipitation equal to the monthly norm fell.
The last time we had such a powerful cyclonic circulation in the republic was on January 1-2, 2016, when the snow cover height in Yerevan reached 40-50 cm. After that, no similar cyclone exit from the southwest was observed.
The height of the snow cover should not be confused with the amount of precipitation. It is determined using a snow gauge rod, on which centimeter divisions are drawn, and the unit of measurement is cm.
Precipitation is the height in millimeters of the water layer (in this case, from melting snow) that would form on the earth’s surface if it were flat if precipitation did not run off, soak into the soil, and evaporate. It is measured using a rain gauge.
