On the morning of Wednesday, July 22, a storm hit Odessa. A heavy downpour, which struck the city in a matter of minutes, turned familiar streets into raging rivers and the transport system into chaos. Two-thirds of the monthly rainfall norm fell in just half an hour, posing a serious challenge for municipal services and city residents.
Storm figures
Leonid Grebenyuk, Head of the Department of Urban Economy, confirmed the scale of the disaster: 30 mm of precipitation fell in Odessa in 30 minutes. For comparison, the monthly norm is only 45 mm. This "burst" nature of the rain prevented the storm drains from coping with the volume of water, leading to extensive flooding.
Municipal workers' struggle
In areas where water traditionally accumulates, 30 units of special equipment and 50 employees of the municipal enterprise "Mіski dorohy" were deployed from the first minutes of the downpour. Despite active work, the consequences were serious: 7 streets were blocked due to flooding.
As of 9:30, traffic remained complicated at the 5th station of Fontana. Officials paid special attention to Balkovskaya Street. Although the water had already receded from the roadway, traffic there was temporarily prohibited due to significant siltation. Municipal services continue to work until the roads are fully cleared.
Transport collapse
The bad weather paralyzed public transport. In the morning, as of 7:50, tram routes No. 20, No. 21, No. 12, and No. 13 were temporarily suspended. Trolleybus route No. 10 was shortened and temporarily ran only to Rishelievskaya Street.
"Rivers" and "fountains" in the city center
Witnesses described the scene as a real flood. On some streets, not only cars but also trash cans were floating. Flower beds turned into cascades of water, and real fountains were gushing from manholes. Roads, squares, and sidewalks became lakes, through which people had to literally make their way to work.
In several districts of the city, there were power outages. Additional danger was created by "tree falls": strong gusts of wind knocked down branches, and some trees fell completely, blocking traffic.
Weather forecast
The situation remains tense. According to experts from the Hydro-Meteorological Center of the Black and Azov Seas, the probability of dangerous meteorological phenomena remains in the Odessa region throughout the day on July 22. Meteorologists forecast variable cloudiness but warn of possible repeated precipitation.
