All schools have been closed in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, and across the country’s northern, central, and eastern regions due to extreme cold, with temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
In the northern region of Pavlodar, authorities had to close down several highways due to low visibility caused by heavy blizzards on February 8.
All roads and highways outside Astana have also been closed.
In the Aqmola, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan regions, public transportation services have been limited due to the weather conditions.
Authorities warned earlier in the week that more regions are expected to be hit by the snowstorms and extremely cold weather in the coming days, saying that in the East Kazakhstan region the temperature could reach minus 45 degrees Celsius.
