Natural Fall: how the capital region is experiencing new heavy snowfalls
The heaviest snowfalls in Moscow and the Moscow region have already ended. Further, the intensity of precipitation will decrease within a couple of days, meteorologists interviewed by Izvestia predict. Therefore, the situation at the capital's airports, where flights were canceled and delayed on the morning of January 27, should not be repeated. Snow removal operations in Moscow on the first day of the expected large-scale snowfalls were carried out around the clock, the Moscow City Administration assured. Experts confirm that the roads in the city are being cleaned quite quickly, which, however, cannot be said about the yards. However, this is a problem that is typical not only for the capital, but also for the Moscow region.
Severe frosts are coming to Moscow
The intensity of the snowfall that hit the center of Russia on the night of January 27 will decrease, says Tatiana Pozdnyakova, a leading specialist at the Meteonosti agency. The reason for the snowfall was the southern cyclone formed over the Mediterranean Sea.
— On Wednesday, January 28, we will still be under the influence of an active atmospheric front. It's moving towards us in waves, which is why the weather is so unstable — snowfalls fall at short intervals," she told Izvestia.
Over the past night, 10-13 mm of precipitation fell in Moscow, and in the Moscow region this value reached 16 mm. According to Tatiana Pozdnyakova's forecast, 3-8 mm of precipitation will fall on the night of January 28.
— Heavy snow will fall only locally, not over the entire territory. Tomorrow, the front will remain almost the same, so the probability of heavy snowfall remains, — said Tatiana Pozdnyakova.
The height of the snow cover will increase, but less than over the past day.
— So far, we do not expect either strong heat or severe cold. The maximum daytime temperature today is minus 6-8 degrees. We will leave on Wednesday night with almost the same temperature," the expert said.
There will be an increase in atmospheric pressure in the next three days, the forecaster added. The central part of Russia will be hit by an anticyclone of Arctic origin.
— The wind is already blowing from the east and northeast. It's always cold winds. Therefore, we expect that the air temperature in the capital will drop significantly on January 29 and 30," said Tatiana Pozdnyakova.
According to the meteorologist, the prevailing temperature in Moscow will reach minus 10-15 degrees by the end of the working week. On Saturday, it is possible that the temperature will drop to minus 20 degrees during the night hours.
— By the weekend, the air temperature will be below the climatic norm again, — said the interlocutor of Izvestia.
Transport conditions and utilities
Since the beginning of January 27, 17 flights from Moscow airports have been canceled, the Ministry of Transport said. Eight flights were delayed for more than two hours.
"Since the beginning of the day, five aircraft operating flights to Sheremetyevo have gone to the alternate airfields of Vnukovo and Domodedovo. In the period from 09:00 to 11:00, the largest Russian airport suspended the reception of flights for cleaning the airfield. 720 tons of snow were taken out of Sheremetyevo alone," the department said.
But on the afternoon of January 27, the Ministry of Transport announced that all airports in the Moscow region — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky — accept and send flights.
"The airfield services of all four air harbors have been strengthened, hundreds of units of special equipment are working, and the cleaning of planar structures and runways continues to ensure flight safety and perform flights with minimal deviations, if possible. There are no difficulties with baggage claim, the situation in the terminals is calm," they assured.
The Moscow Department of Transport urged motorists to abandon trips by private transport on January 27 and 28 and advised them to travel by public transport. Truck drivers were advised to avoid areas with slopes.
Snow removal operations in the capital on the first day of the expected large-scale snowfalls were carried out around the clock, the Moscow City Administration assured.
According to Deputy Mayor of Moscow Pyotr Biryukov, as precipitation fell, continuous mechanized sweeping of the roadway, sidewalks and courtyards with deicing treatment was carried out.
"Special attention is being paid to the prompt cleaning of key highways to ensure the passage of ambulances, emergency services and urban transport, as well as pedestrian zones, sidewalks, approaches to stops and social facilities," he said.
The Moscow authorities assured that additional employees and special equipment of city engineering, resource supply and construction companies are involved in the cleaning of the city, and stationary snow-melting points are operating around the clock.
"After reducing the intensity of the snowfall, we will start cleaning the pitched roofs of apartment buildings, protruding elements of building facades, drainage gutters and funnels of drains from snow and ice. The work sites will be fenced with ribbons and special barriers to exclude the passage of pedestrians," promised the metropolitan complex of urban economy.
Konstantin Krokhin, chairman of the Union of Housing Organizations in Moscow and a specialist in public utilities, told Izvestia that people in the Moscow region cleaned their yards themselves.
"There were many initiatives from the residents themselves, when, due to the inaction of management companies, people organized themselves and cleaned paths, sidewalks, driveways, and cars," he said.
But Moscow's roads are very well cleaned, despite the intensity of the snowfall.
— Road cleaning is very well organized in Moscow. Firstly, the road network is very developed, there are modern highways that are heated and have an automatic reagent scattering system. That is, work with snow begins before the snowfall," the expert explained.
In his opinion, Moscow remains the leader in the quality of winter cleaning.
— There is no city in the CIS where there would be so much equipment. But if we talk about yards, here, regardless of whether the snowfall is abnormal or not, they will be poorly cleaned in any snowfall," Konstantin Krokhin noted.
He stressed that poor yard cleaning is due to the fact that there are not enough workers. The profession of a janitor in the capital remains unattractive, and people move into other fields of activity.
"Those migrants who have been counted on in the city for many years as the main labor force in the yards are going into delivery and taxi driving," the expert noted.
What should the regions prepare for?
Significant precipitation also fell in Smolensk, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod during the day, and it will move further east, Alexander Shuvalov, head of the Meteo forecasting center, told Izvestia.
"In Kuban and Crimea, we need to wait for the temperature to rise, which will be quite significant on Friday and Saturday, to 10-13 degrees Celsius on the Black Sea coast, and up to 15 degrees Celsius on the southern coast of Crimea," he added.
According to the expert, after a sharp warming, the southern part of Russia will be overtaken by cold weather.
— This severe cold snap will spread throughout the first five days of February and the temperature here may drop to 10-15 degrees Celsius at night in the steppe part of Kuban. That is, it will be a very contrasting weather," said Alexander Shuvalov.
The same situation is expected in the Lower Volga region, as well as in the Volgograd and Samara regions.
— They will go through an increase in temperature, and then they will be hit by severe cold. And there it can reach 20-degree frosts. We have cold weather in the northwest almost all the time," he stressed.
Almost 20-degree frosts are expected in St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk and in the north-west of the European part of Russia, the expert added. And in the Urals and Siberia, severe frosts are becoming a thing of the past.
— By the end of the five-day period, most likely, a positive abnormal temperature will prevail in these regions. That is, the frosts will weaken somewhere to 5-10 degrees in the daytime, snow will pass, but not too heavy," he said.
He stressed that in the Urals and Siberia the air temperature will reach 8-10 degrees above the climatic norm.
The contrasting atmospheric front continues to determine the weather pattern in the regions of the central European part of Russia, the Hydrometeorological Center of the Russian Federation reported. Heavy snow and ice are expected in the Tver, Vladimir, Kaluga, Tula and Ryazan regions on January 28. There will also be heavy ice and heavy snowfall in the Smolensk region on this day. Similar weather is expected in the Moscow, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions on January 28 and 29.
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