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Cyclone pummels northeastern Russia

YUZHNO, Russia, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Russian weather officials said a cyclone was pummeling the Kurile Islands in the northernmost part of the Sea of Japan Tuesday, Itar-Tass reported.

The system has sustained winds of 55 mph with higher gusts, and is accompanied by both heavy snowfall in the insular Sakhalin region and heavy rainfall in the southern island of Kunashir.

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Railway ferries delivering the bulk of supplies to the island have stopped running between the Sakhalin port of Kholmsk and the port of Vanino on the mainland.

The cyclone also halted operations at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport where air controllers said there would be no takeoffs or landings until early Wednesday.

The system is on course to sweep Kamchatka, leaving the island area with at least two days of either heavy rain or snow forecast.

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