In central Russia the air has grown distinctly cooler. In Moscow, forecasters expect rain and a drop in temperatures by the weekend. The first snow is likely to arrive on Monday, and while it may melt quickly, this marks the first visible signal of the season.
History of weather observations
According to the Gismeteo service, recent memory shows the capital frequently seeing the first snow from late October to early November, with temperatures around 0°C.
Over the past decade, the following patterns have been recorded:
Infographics about Moscow’s first snowfall were prepared by Gismeteo and featured in the programme Behind the Wheel.
Forecast for autumn-winter 2022
Forecasts from the same meteorological service suggest that by Monday morning, October 31, there will be melting snow with temperatures around +1 to +2°C and slick roads in the capital. From Wednesday, November 2 to Sunday, November 6, the service warns about the possibility of black ice.
Black ice is a very thin layer of ice that covers roads so smoothly that it can be nearly invisible. It forms when precipitation occurs during the day or sleet, then freezes at night as temperatures dip below freezing. It tends to appear in the evening or early morning and is dangerous because drivers may not notice it until it’s too late.
Weather news from Phobos notes a shift from unusual warmth to a more typical winter pattern. The weekend on the Russian plain will be unusually warm, but the warming will not last. By Monday night frost will arrive, and by afternoon the temperature may hover around only +4°C. Tuesday will bring several degrees of cooling, making driving on summer tires hazardous.
So far, for regions near the Volga and Don, as well as the Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye areas, and the Crimea, the daytime average is unlikely to dip below +7°C in the fall.
The hydrometeorological center also cautions that an active cyclone moving along the northern coast of the European part of Russia could trigger notable changes in the capital region. Ice formation in Moscow and the surrounding area is possible on Monday.
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Next week, drivers in Russia should be ready to switch to winter tires.
There is also a reminder of a recent tire test comparing summer and winter tires at temperatures near zero. The researchers’ conclusions may surprise readers.
The coldest period this year is anticipated to occur at the end of December with temperatures reaching down to minus 12°C. February is expected to be the coldest month of winter, mainly due to high humidity and strong winds.
A stock photo from Depositphotos is used to illustrate the piece.