Increase in Natural and Technogenic Emergencies in Kazakhstan

Due to global climate change, between 2007 and 2023, Kazakhstan experienced a significant increase in meteorological extreme events caused by heavy snowfall, hail, strong winds, and rain compared to the previous seventeen-year period. The consequences of these weather events included downed power lines, damaged building roofs, fallen trees, vehicle damage, road closures, and school cancellations.

Kazakhstan’s territory, due to its geographical location and diverse natural, geological, and geodynamic conditions, is prone to various types of natural and technogenic emergencies. Floods, mudflows, landslides, avalanches, hurricanes, forest and steppe fires, and other hazardous natural events annually cause substantial damage to the country’s economic potential and destroy infrastructure in many regions. 

According to the Kazhydromet data, from 2007 to 2023, compared to the previous seventeen-year period (1990-2006), the number of meteorological extreme events increased as follows: heavy snowfall by 1.8 times, hail and strong winds by 1.6 times, and heavy rain by 1.4 times. At the same time, the number of cases of dense fog decreased by 43%, and blizzards decreased by 19%. 

In 2023, there were 71 more meteorological extreme events than in 2022. The Kazhydromet issued 81 storm warnings regarding sudden weather changes and hazardous meteorological phenomena.

The most frequent events in 2023 were strong winds of 30 m/s or more, with 146 cases, accounting for 72% of all extreme meteorological events. Strong winds were most often observed in the Zhetysu, North Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, and Almaty regions. The maximum wind duration (36 hours) and speed (45 m/s) were recorded in the Zhetysu region. 

Additionally, 23 cases of heavy rain were recorded in 2023, mainly in the mountainous and foothill areas of southern Kazakhstan – Almaty, Zhetysu, Zhambyl, and Turkestan regions. The highest number of events (16) occurred in the Almaty region.

Severe blizzards with visibility of 50-500 meters, lasting 12-50 hours with average wind speeds of 15-29 m/s, were mostly observed in January, February, March, and December 2023. There were 15 cases in total: Kostanay – 5, Abai – 3, North Kazakhstan and Ulytau – 2 each, and Akmola, Zhambyl, and Karaganda – 1 each.

Very strong dust storms were recorded in April, August, and December 2023, totaling 5 cases (Kyzylorda – 3, Mangystau and Atyrau – 1 each). The duration of dust storms ranged from 12 to 36 hours, with visibility of 200-500 meters and wind speeds of 16-24 m/s.

The highest number of extreme meteorological events in 2023 was recorded in the Zhetysu region (about 35%), followed by the Almaty region (around 16%), North Kazakhstan (around 9%), Zhambyl and Turkestan regions (around 7%), and then Akmola (around 5%) and Pavlodar (around 4%).

As previously reported, the Regional Ecological Summit will be held in Astana on 22–24 April 2026, where environmental challenges of Central Asian countries and possible solutions will be discussed.