The weather forecaster spoke about the beginning of the bathing season in 2026

Against the background of steady heat, the bathing season may start earlier than usual this year. The first attempts to open it were already recorded in mid-May on the beaches of Moscow and the Moscow region: people sunbathe, and some vacationers even go into the water. However, it is too early to talk about proper bathing — it is necessary to wait for a steady warming of the air and reservoirs. Tatiana Pozdnyakova, a leading expert of Meteonosti, told Izvestia about this on May 22.

"Traditionally, in central Russia, the bathing season can begin the day after Trinity. This is a well-established landmark related to climatic features. In 2026, the holiday falls on May 31, which means that the conditional start date of the season is June 1," the meteorologist notes.

At the same time, the expert emphasizes that this is more a folk and climatic tradition than a strict rule. The official opening of the bathing season is considered to be the moment when the water temperature reaches +16 ... +17 degrees. But even such values, according to her, do not provide comfortable bathing.

"At this temperature of the water, you can talk more about dipping or cooling, but not about full-fledged swimming. For comfortable bathing, it is necessary to warm up the water to about +19... +22 degrees. These indicators are recorded daily by hydrological services, including in the Moskva River, and it is on them that one should focus," Pozdnyakova explained.

Scorched by the sun: an abnormal heat wave is coming to Central Russia

The weather in the capital will return to the climatic norm only on the evening of May 22, meteorologists predict.

At the same time, the forecaster drew attention to the high variability of weather conditions during the transition period. According to her, short—term heat waves are indeed able to quickly warm up reservoirs, but they do not retain heat, which is typical for late spring and early summer. Therefore, in Central Russia, the opening of the season should be expected no earlier than mid-June.

"Short-term warming periods are possible now, when the water rises to +18... +19 degrees. But if the water warms up, then when the air masses change, it can cool down again in just a few days. Therefore, it is premature to talk about the opening of the bathing season," she says.

In general, as the expert emphasizes, the final conclusions about the start of the bathing season can be made closer to the end of May. It is during this period that updated forecasts for June are formed, based on updated data.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

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