Nearly 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began an invasion in February, and a blast of bitterly cold air could make the journey to safety even more treacherous.
Published Mar. 7, 2022 4:46 PM EST | Updated Mar. 8, 2022 10:43 AM EST
As refugees flee war-torn Ukraine, the journey to safety may be hindered in the coming days as a blast of bitterly cold air descends across the region.
"This potential cold snap could impact refugees, those who lack heat and who are outside for prolonged periods of time the most," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
Nearly 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, according to The Associated Press, with that number rising each day. In some cases, refugees have traveled on foot for days through the elements before reaching the border of a neighboring country.
A woman wraps herself in a blanket to keep warm as she waits in a crowd of refugees after fleeing from Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians attempting to flee to safety Sunday were forced to shelter from Russian shelling that pummeled cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Poland has accepted more than 1 million of those refugees, with some arriving on trains. The Przemysl train station near the border town of Medyka, Poland, is counting thousands of new refugees with each arriving train and is offering warm soup, hot coffee and winter coats for people who could use a warm meal amid the gloomy atmosphere, according to a report from 60 Minutes.
The simple gesture of a coat can mean everything for refugees like Lena Nesterova, who arrived in Romania with only a handful of belongings. “We left everything. We have no clothes, nothing,” she told the AP.
A similar scene occurred across the border in Hungary where Ilona Marghescu had a cauldron of meat stew for the refugees who spent hours waiting in line to cross the border.
Australian-Hungarian volunteers Tamas and Ilona Marghescu prepare traditional Hungarian meat stew for Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Zahony, Hungary, Sunday, March 6, 2022. Tamas and Ilona said that as children of refugees themselves, they feel a responsibility to help. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
“It’s … important for people when they come off those trains to have somebody smiling at them and to know that there are people here that care,” Marghescu said, according to an AP report. “It’s a traditional meal and it’s cooked with love."
The cold front responsible for this reinforced wave of freezing air swept through the region on Monday, but temperatures will continue to fall throughout the week as Arctic air grips the region.
"The coldest days will be Thursday, March 10 to Saturday, March 12, with expected temperature departures to be 8-16 degrees Fahrenheit (5-10 degrees Celsius) below normal," Roys said.
This prolonged cold spell will lead to added hardships for those who remain in Ukraine. According to Reuters, more than 900 communities across the country do not have electricity, running water or heat.
"Any snow that has accumulated from the recent storms is expected to remain on the ground for an extended time," he added.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that this cold air will remain entrenched over Ukraine into early next week before milder weather has a chance to return.
The temperatures in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is predicted to be near or below freezing every day through the start of next week.
The frigid forecast is not deterring efforts to escape Ukraine, including 19-year-old Racheal Diyaolu, an Irish medical student who was in the eastern Ukraine city of Sumy when the Russians started the invasion. Diyaolu was able to make it out of the city but her journey is far from over.
"I have left behind lots of friends who are still stuck there and still looking for ways to get out, and most of my belongings as well," she explained to the BBC. "I'm fine, just trying to stay in high spirits and keep positive that we'll make it to Poland."
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