Tornadoes, dust storms increase in southern Ukraine — meteorologist
This was reported to a Ukrinform correspondent by Yuriy Kiriiak, head of the Kherson Regional Center for Hydrometeorology.
"We can now say that tornadoes, which people also call twisters, will tend to increase. This is because we have heat and drought in our region, which we haven't had in the last thirty years. Crop losses are being recorded across virtually the entire right bank. And it is precisely under weather and climate conditions such as these that phenomena such as tornadoes, dry winds, dust storms, and massive fires in ecosystems occur. Considering that we have at least a month and a half of hot weather ahead of us, their intensity will increase," Kiriiak said.
He stressed that the situation is worsening due to the Russians' destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. The moisture that the Kakhovka Reservoir provided to this area through a system of irrigation, evaporation, and filtration was a key element that allowed a specific ecosystem with forests, forest belts along canals, and fields to function here for 70 years. Now we are witnessing the destruction of this ecosystem.
"The decrease in precipitation, drought, and the destruction of agricultural crops are also consequences of what happened to the Kakhovka Reservoir. But these consequences are only beginning to manifest themselves," said Kiriiak, suggesting that the full effects will likely be felt in ten years.
He recalled that last year, 350 mm of precipitation was recorded for the year, compared to the norm of 441 mm. And before the construction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, 159 mm was recorded.
"The minimum amount of precipitation was 159 mm in 1921 and 185 mm in 1945. If we want to know what will happen to our territory without water from the Kakhovka Reservoir, we only need to look at historical data. And the outlook is very poor. At 350 and 441 mm, we say that there is no moisture and that our crops are dying. Imagine what will happen at 190 mm per year," the expert said.
He noted that in 1892, severe droughts were observed in the southern regions. In particular, in July, a dust storm in the Azov region, which lasted several days, stripped the soil to a depth of 30 cm. In the Berdiansk district alone, 90,000 hectares of spring and winter crops were destroyed, and in the Mariupol district, 190,000 hectares of fields were damaged by the wind.
At the same time, the expert expressed the opinion that the situation on the occupied left bank of the Kherson region is worse than in the de-occupied territory, as evidenced by satellite images. “It is clearly visible that in August 2018, the territory was green, while in August 2024, it is completely brown. There are practically no green areas on the left bank; they have disappeared, which means that the situation there is much worse,” the expert concluded.
As reported by Ukrinform, on July 16, the head of the Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, released a video of a tornado in the Kherson region.
A tornado is a powerful whirlwind in the form of a giant dark pillar or cone. Descending to the surface of the earth (sea), it sucks up and lifts dust, sand, water, and heavy objects to a considerable height.
The probability of tornadoes occurring is the same throughout Ukraine. They are more common in the summer months, moving in waves and “leaps.” In autumn, they occur over the water surface.
On the night of June 6, 2023, the Russian army blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, causing flooding in parts of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and, at the same time, critically depleting the Kakhovka Reservoir.
Photo: social media
