Yellow Cloud Spotted in the Sky Over Novoye Devyatkino
On the morning of January 29, a St. Petersburg resident recorded an unusual yellow cloud that was visible from a window in the Lakhta Center. According to preliminary estimates, the object was located near the village of Novoye Devyatkino.
Experts« Opinions
Leading specialist from the FOBOS center Mikhail Leus explained the phenomenon with weather features. «Most likely, under anticyclonic weather conditions, with weak wind, descending air currents and temperature inversion, the dispersal of various emissions and pollutants in the atmosphere is hindered. If you look closely, you can see that the beginning of this cloud comes from smoke from the chimneys of some thermal power plant,» said Leus.
He added that such smoke gradually disperses and twists in the sky. In this situation, there can be no other reasons for the yellow hue, according to him.
Chief meteorologist of St. Petersburg Alexander Kolesov put forward an alternative hypothesis. «And the clouds are being drawn out as a plume from Ladoga, they are higher than smoke from chimneys, so the color is different,» clarified Kolesov, suggesting that the yellowness might be related to illumination from the sun.
In Novoye Devyatkino, there is the Severnaya TPP (Thermal Power Plant), which allows for the possibility that the source of the smoke could be the chimneys of this enterprise.
Upcoming Cold Snap
At the same time, St. Petersburg residents are expecting severe frosts. There is a possibility that the winter record registered on January 5, when the temperature dropped to -17.7 degrees Celsius (0.1°F), will be broken. According to Yandex.Weather, in the coming days, thermometers could show up to -20 degrees Celsius (-4°F).
