A powerful Pacific cyclones swept across Kamchatka, triggering the heaviest snow recorded in the region in 146 years

The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia is experiencing one of the harshest winters in decades, with snowfall reaching unprecedented levels. The region has been hit by powerful Pacific cyclones, bringing over 5 metres of snow and freezing temperatures that have brought daily life to a standstill. In several areas, residents were forced to dig narrow tunnels just to exit their homes.

A powerful Pacific cyclones swept across Kamchatka, triggering the heaviest snow recorded in the region in 146 years.

The biggest snowfall in 146 years on Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula created vast drifts several metres tall that blocked building entrances and buried cars, according to Reuters visuals and weather monitoring stations.

In some areas more than 2 m (6.5 feet) of snow has fallen in the first half of January after 3.7 m in December, according to weather monitoring stations.

Reuters pictures showed cars almost completely buried in metres of snow and four-wheel drives struggling for traction - or simply blocked by great drifts of snow. Locals were forced to dig out paths to the entrances of apartment buildings.

"I plan to go on a walk around the city tomorrow, though unfortunately the car has been parked in a snowdrift for a month," said Lydmila Moskvicheva, a photographer in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a port city 6,800 km (4,200 miles) east of Moscow.

Video posted on Russian media showed locals walking on snow drifts alongside traffic lights and great piles of snow several metres tall lining roads.

The Instagram clip below, shared by @me_studyinrussia, has clocked 10 million views so far.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital, residents have been forced to dig narrow tunnels to exit their homes, while roads and public transport have been suspended. The snowdrifts are so high that they're blocking building entrances and burying cars. Despite the chaos, locals are making the most of the situation, jumping from windows into deep snowbanks and treating the snow as a giant playground. Children and adults alike were seen turning an otherwise overwhelming natural event into a rare moment of joy.

The authorities have declared a state of emergency, with emergency services working to clear massive snowdrifts and restore essential services. Unfortunat