Gentle cover: snowfalls will come to the capital region this weekend

A snow cover of up to 2-5 cm awaits residents of Moscow and the region at the weekend, forecasters told Izvestia. The temperature will drop to minus 7 degrees Celsius, but by the beginning of next week it is expected to be zero degrees Celsius and thaw again. Representatives of marketplaces noted an increase in demand for snow removal goods in anticipation of bad weather. Auto experts advise to prepare in advance for the cold weather and be more careful on the road during snowfalls. On what weather awaits Muscovites this weekend - in the material "Izvestia".

How the weather will change over the weekend

Cold weather will come to the capital region by the weekend, December 7-8, the air temperature will drop to -6 ... -7 degrees, meteorologists told "Izvestia". Cloudy weather with snowfalls and warming to zero degrees by Sunday is expected, said the head of the forecasting center "Meteo" Alexander Shuvalov.

- Quite December weather will be on Friday, December 6, and then again turn to thaw," he said.

The weather over the coming weekend will be determined by the area of increased atmospheric pressure, said Tatyana Pozdnyakova, a specialist at the Meteonovosti news agency. An atmospheric front will rise along the periphery of the anticyclone retreating to the southeast, so Muscovites are expected cloudy weather with snow on Saturday, December 7. In this case, the thermometer columns will drop to minus 6 degrees Celsius.

- If by the end of the working week the temperature will be a few degrees below the climatic norm, then at the weekend it will be typical for the capital region in early December, - she added. - Since Monday, the thaw will return to Moscow again and the air temperature will be already above the norm by three degrees.

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According to the weather center Fobos, a cyclone will invade western European Russia on Saturday and bring snow. However, in most areas the intensity of precipitation is expected to be quite small - up to 3 mm per day.

- The Atlantic cyclone will control weather processes in the Russian Plain at least until the beginning of next week. According to model estimates, during this time in the Center, in the North-West and in the Black Earth Region will again form a snow cover up to 2-5 cm high - reported there.

December 2023 in the capital region, according to Tatiana Pozdnyakova, was snowy, the height of the snow cover was 37 cm, and the temperature dropped to minus 13 degrees at night and to minus 8 degrees during the day. At the same time, the average daily air temperature, typical for the beginning of winter in Moscow and the Moscow region, is minus 3.5 degrees.

Due to the expected snowfalls, demand for snow removal goods has increased 4.5 times, Wildberries told Izvestia. Russians began preparing for the winter season outside the city back in October, and in November sales of goods necessary for this jumped, even though there have not yet been heavy snowfalls in most regions.

What snow removal products have become in demand

Among snow removal goods, the strongest demand grew for de-icing agents (+557%). In second place were scrapers (wide shovels. - Ed.) for snow (+464%), and in third place - snow blowers (+359%). Demand for such items almost doubled compared to the same period last year.

- Most of all snow removal equipment on the threshold of this winter bought in Moscow and Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Sverdlovsk regions, - said the representatives of the marketplace.

You need to be ready to quickly remove freshly fallen snow from the paths near the house and from the parking lot, noted the manufacturers of snow removal equipment.

- To clear such obstacles, you can use either conventional shovels or cordless snow blowers, - said the representative of the company Greenworks Sergey Evpryakov.

In city conditions, gasoline snow blowers are bulky, and electric ones without a battery need a long wire to connect to the mains, he noted. To make it easier to clear the car, he recommended using "blowers" that can blow snow off the car.

- You should choose a blower for such work by the speed of the air flow, the minimum value of which for snow should be at least 180 kilometers per hour," the expert added.

What to do motorists

During snowfalls, experts advise to drive slower and keep an increased distance to other road users. This will help them to react in time to any changes in the traffic situation and avoid accidents.

A driver should be able to drive a car at any time of the year, says auto expert Ivan Volin. Winter, according to him, is a "treacherous" time of year in terms of vehicle behavior on the road. There are certain rules that must be observed wherever the grip of the wheels with the road surface will encounter any problems.

- Try to avoid sharp accelerations, braking and turns: your actions should be smooth and predictable, so as not to lose control over the car and not to cause problems for other drivers, - said auto expert Julia Miloslavskaya. - If visibility deteriorates sharply or the road becomes unsafe, if possible, find a place to stop and wait until weather conditions improve.

If the car is bogged down in snow, you should stay inside, turn on the emergency alarm and call for help, auto experts advise. In addition, if possible, you should turn off the engine to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and sometimes start only to avoid freezing.

- If you have a long trip in unfavorable weather conditions, be sure to make sure that your car has winter tires with good tread, - recommended Julia Miloslavskaya. - Pay attention to the operation of headlights, brake lights and turn signals. Good visibility is a key aspect of safety in bad weather. You should also make sure that the windshield wipers work smoothly, and the washer fluid does not freeze.

In winter, a car's gas tank should always be full, Ivan Volin said. In case of getting into an emergency situation, there should be enough fuel in the car to wait for help. Non-freezing liquid, in his opinion, is more important in the off-season, when the road is slushy, than during a snowfall. Experts noted that in all weather conditions, the main thing is that the car should be technically sound.