RASHT, Jan. 4 (Mehr News Agency) - About 2000 buildings in Gilan Province, including residential homes, shops, rice warehouses, and stables have been damaged by high winds that hit northern Iran.

On Sunday, the roofs of some buildings were ripped off by winds of 120 kilometers per hour. The province's weather forecast institute has predicted that the high winds will continue until Monday.

Winds of 110 kilometers per hour hit East Azerbaijan Province earlier in the day.

A provincial official said that one person was killed and ten others injured by the windstorms in Gilan.

Afshin Azizi, an official of the province's emergency services department, said about two hectares of forest have been burned down in Gilan Province.

On Sunday, the weather was 7 degrees Celsius hotter than the day before, the provincial weather institute said.

Such a hot wind in winter is unprecedented in Iran.

... Payvand News - 01/04/10 ... --