Moscow Residents Wondering Where Winter Went; Highest December Temperatures In 133 Years

Residents of Moscow are wondering where winter has gone as the highest December temperatures in 133 years deprive the Russian capital of its customary covering of snow. “This is not our winter,” said pensioner Ludmila Biryukova. “It came from somewhere else.”

At a time when snow often blankets the streets and icicles hang from buildings, the temperature in Moscow is expected to reach 6 degrees Celsius (42.8 Fahrenheit) overnight on Wednesday, according to Elena Vosolyuk of the FOBOS weather center.

The last time Moscow was warmer than 5.3 C on Dec. 18 was in 1886, she said. The usual air temperature for Dec. 18 is minus 6.2 C, according to Russia’s Hydrometeorological Research Center.

The unseasonable warmth has been brought by an atmospheric front from the Atlantic Ocean, and rain, not snow, is forecast for the New Year’s holiday, Russia’s main festive celebration.

EDIT

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/19/world/science-health-world/not-winter-moscow-temperatures-hit-133-year-high/#.XgDRoxt7nGM