Colored snow falls in Russia

SAMARA, Russia, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- An unusual colored snowfall settled on several areas of the southeastern Russian city of Samara on New Year's Eve, officials said.

A spokesman for the Emergencies Ministry said the gray and beige colored snow is not a health threat to the city's residents, RIA Novosti reported.

Experts say they believe the colored snow was a result of sandstorms in Kazakhstan mixing sand and clay into the falling snow.