Roman Vilfand, scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center, said that by December 19, the height of the snowdrifts in Moscow could exceed the record figure of 34 cm recorded on December 19, 1941.
Vilfand recalled that at the moment the snow height at the Roshidromet main meteorological station in Moscow is fixed at 22 cm, while on December 13, the height of the snowdrifts reached only 5 cm.
“This hurricane, which is currently moving from the southwest to the northeast of European territory, will bring heavy rainfall, if not very strong in appearance… but very active,” said Vilfand. “The probability of an event breaking a record is not small.”
According to Vilfand, the record for the height of the snowdrifts on December 19, 1941 will certainly be broken.
“According to the latest estimates, by Monday the height of the snow will increase by 15-20 cm. This means that the snowdrifts will reach 40 cm in most places, and even higher in some places,” he said.
According to meteorology, heavy snow and black ice are expected on December 17 in Moscow and the Moscow region. On December 18, the snow will get harder, a blizzard is expected with winds of up to 15 m/s and difficult conditions for drivers and pilots.
“Probably many people have seen film footage or photographs from the history of the counteroffensive in the Moscow region in 1941. There are people in the snow up to the waist. The weather will be like this,” he said.
According to the forecast of the Hydrometeorological Center, during the day it will be -2…-4°С in the capital and -5…-7°С in Moscow (in the region) on December 18. -4…-9°С).
Moscow Municipality noted that due to heavy snowfall, city services will continue to operate in enhanced mode. The height of the snow cover has reached its maximum since the onset of winter.
The situation at airports
According to the Yandex Tariffs service, more than 40 flights were delayed or canceled due to bad weather conditions at three Moscow airports (Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo).
As of 11:10 Moscow time, eight flights were delayed at Vnukovo airport, ten more flights were cancelled. Six flights from Sheremetyevo will depart late and the same number of flights have been cancelled. Only one flight was canceled in Domodedovo, another 12 flights were delayed. The service considers deviations of 30 minutes or more from the schedule as a delay.
“There is no flight in the airport’s schedule that has been canceled in the Başkent region due to weather conditions. Domodedovo press service, it is important to note that even in difficult weather conditions, air carriers do not cancel flights, but postpone their departure until later.
Airports told RBC that deviations may arise in the schedules of departing flights due to the aircraft’s need to avoid icing.
yellow danger level
A “yellow” weather hazard has been declared in Moscow and the Moscow region. The warning will be valid until 12:00 on December 18.
This means that the weather can potentially harm a person and affect their activities. At the same time, a danger of this level does not mean an immediate threat to life.
In Moscow, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergencies has issued an emergency warning due to snowfall, icing and increased wind.
“According to the weather forecasts of Roshidromet, on the night of December 18, heavy snowfall, very heavy snowfall in some places, blizzards, strong winds of up to 15 meters per second, an increase in the north wind is expected in the city of Moscow. . “There is sleet on the roads, there are snow puddles,” he said.
Heavy snowfall has been continuing in Moscow for several days, causing numerous traffic jams on 14 December.
Alexander Baranov, manager of the CityGuide-Moscow navigation service, advised not to drive at all in such a situation.
“Moscow is in a traffic jam. It snowed all night, covering the entire capital. It is impossible to drive along the Moscow Ring Road or other main highways. Trucks are skidding everywhere, trying to overtake each other and, as a result, closing several lanes at once, ”explained the situation on December 14, when the height of the snowdrifts reached 28 cm in places.