The temperature in the Russian capital on Thursday lagged 1.5 months behind the normal climate calendar, meteorologists have said
Dandelions are covered in snow during rare spring snowfall in Moscow. © Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich
The snow that fell in Moscow on May 9 was the first ever recorded on that day of the year in the capital, the head of Russia’s Hydrometeorological Center has said.
The snow reached a depth of one to five centimeters in various parts of the city on Thursday morning, during preparations for the Victory Day parade on Red Square, Roman Vilfand told Interfax news agency on Friday.
“Temporary snow cover was recorded on May 9 for the first time in the entire period of meteorological observations,” Vilfand said.
It was “such a cold day that its climate corresponded to March 26,” meaning Thursday’s temperature lagged 1.5 months behind the usual climate calendar, the meteorologist noted.
The chief specialist at the weather news agency Meteonovosti, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, said that the average temperature on Thursday in Moscow was 1.7°C (35°F), making it the coldest May 9 since 1972.
After the morning chill, thermometers rose to 6°C by afternoon and the snow melted, she wrote on Telegram on Friday. However, the day’s average was still 10.8°C lower than the norm, Pozdnyakova noted.
READ MORE: Moscow hit by record snowfall (VIDEOS)
Moscow’s cold snap follows the warmest April in 23 years, the Gismeteo website said last week. The average temperature last month stood at 10.9°C, which was 5°C above the norm. On April 2, a record of 23.2°C was recorded, according to Gismeteo.
