Snowfall Causes Traffic Collapse in Chelyabinsk

On the evening of January 20, heavy snowfall in Chelyabinsk led to the highest-level traffic jams, noted by all popular mapping services.

Jan 23, 2026

Motorists report that road surfaces in Chelyabinsk remain snow-covered despite reported cleanup efforts.
Source:
Daria Pona

On Saturday evening, January 20, traffic in Chelyabinsk was nearly paralyzed.

Traffic accidents were the primary cause of the most severe congestion recorded on city streets.
Source:
Yandex.Maps

Services Yandex Traffic and 2GIS recorded the maximum, ten-point level of congestion on the city streets.

The most difficult situation arose due to traffic accidents on Khudyakov and Lesoparkovaya streets.

Traffic was also seriously hampered on the following highways:

Sverdlovsk Tract
Pobedy Avenue
Truda Street
Bratiev Kashirinykh Street

Drivers actively shared opinions on social media. «Snow again and everyone forgot how to drive?» said one reader, expressing general dissatisfaction with the situation.

Meanwhile, some Chelyabinsk residents attribute the difficulties with movement not only to accidents but also to snow-covered roadways.

According to them, roads remain narrowed due to snowbanks, despite the fact that utility services reported cleaning throughout the day after the overnight snowfall.