The snowfall on the night of January 3 to 4, 1911, in Sukhumi was an unprecedented event for the region, later, it would be called the “Great Snow.”
The snow cover on the coast reached a height of two meters, making it necessary to dig trenches through the streets, allowing people to move only in single file.
The “Great Snow” remained for 38 days.
Since the snow fell at temperatures of 1-2 degrees Celsius, it was wet and heavy — so much so that it caused roofs to collapse and broke telegraph poles.
As a result, telegraph communication was down for several days, and telephone service was disrupted for an entire month.
The severity of the snowfall was such that it necessitated the involvement not only of the greater part of Sukhumi’s population, but also of military personnel in overcoming the elements.