Climate of Moscow
{{Short description|Climate of the capital of Russia}}
Image:Humidcontinentalworld2.png worldwide]]
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|source={{Cite web|url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/27612.htm|title=Климат Москвы - Погода и климат}}
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Moscow has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm to hot summers and long, cold, winters. Typical high temperatures in the warm months of June, July and August are around {{convert|23|°C|°F|abbr=on|lk=on}}, but during heat waves, which can occur anytime from May to September, daytime temperature highs often top {{convert|30|°C|°F|abbr=on}} sometimes one or two weeks. In the winter, temperatures normally drop to approximately {{convert|-10|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, though there can be periods of warmth with temperatures rising above {{convert|0|°C}}. Summer lasts from mid-May to the beginning of September, and winter lasts from the beginning of November to the end of March. Humidity is high year-round, although it is lowest during the spring months.
More extreme continental climates at the same latitude- such as parts of Eastern Canada or Siberia- have much colder winters than Moscow, suggesting that there is still significant moderation from the Atlantic Ocean{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} despite the fact that Moscow is far from the sea.
Monthly averages and records for Moscow
File:VVC weather station.png on the map of Moscow]]
The highest temperature ever recorded was {{Convert|38.2|°C|°F|abbr=on}} on July 29, 2010. The lowest temperature ever recorded was {{convert|-42|°C|°F}}.{{cite web|title=Moscow, Russia|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=551572&cityname=Moscow-Central-Federal-District-Russia|publisher=Weatherbase}} In 2007 three record highs for the month occurred – January {{convert|+8.6|°C|°F}}, March {{convert|+17.5|°C|°F}}, and May {{convert|33.2|°C|°F}}; in 2008, there were new record highs for December and the entire winter: {{convert|+9.6|°C|°F}}. On July 23, 2010, the temperature reached {{Convert|36.7|°C|°F|abbr=on}}{{cite web |url=http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/07/24/13327739.html |title=Air temperatures in Moscow beat all records |access-date=2010-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728101259/http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/07/24/13327739.html |archive-date=2010-07-28 |url-status=dead }} and continued to set record highs each following day until it finally reached {{convert|38.2|°C|°F}} on July 29, 2010. In November 2010 a new month record high of {{convert|+14.5|°C|°F}} occurred (after +12.6 in 1927).
Average annual temperature in Moscow is {{Convert|5.8|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, but recently (2007, 2008, 2015) it has been higher than {{Convert|7|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.pogoda.ru.net/data/27612.zip|title=Pogoda.ru.net (data), see article "Средняя (average)" |access-date=January 8, 2009 |language=ru}} In the first half of the 20th century, there was light night frost in late summer.{{cite web |url=http://www.pogoda.ru.net/data/27612.zip|title=Pogoda.ru.net (data), see article "Минимум (minimum)" |access-date=January 8, 2009 |language=ru}} 2020 become the warmest in the history of meteorological observations, the average annual temperature was {{Convert|8.0|°C|°F|abbr=on}} (while the monthly averages temperatures were above {{Convert|0|°C|°F|abbr=on}} even in March and November).[http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/history/27612.htm Средние месячные и годовые температуры воздуха в Москве]
Monthly precipitation totals are moderately high throughout the year, although precipitation levels tend to be higher during the summer than during the winter. Due to the significant variation in temperature between the winter and summer months as well as the limited fluctuation in precipitation levels during the summer, Moscow is considered to have a continental climate with no true dry season.
Most of the records and averages are given for VVC weather station, located in the North-Eastern administrative okrug of Moscow. The temperature from this station averages 0.5–1 °C lower than in the city center, and 0.5–2 °C higher than night minimums in the suburbs.{{cite web |url=http://www.hmn.ru:8101/index1.php?code=22|title=Data from weather stations of Moscow region in real time |access-date=March 25, 2009 |language=ru}}
{{Weather box
|location=Moscow (2009–2018, VVC)
|collapsed=
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan high C= −6.0
|Feb high C= −3.6
|Mar high C= 2.4
|Apr high C= 11.4
|May high C= 20.1
|Jun high C= 22.6
|Jul high C= 25.8
|Aug high C= 23.9
|Sep high C= 16.7
|Oct high C= 7.9
|Nov high C= 2.1
|Dec high C= −2.4
|year high C=10.2
|Jan mean C= −7.9
|Feb mean C= −6.0
|Mar mean C= −1.0
|Apr mean C= 6.9
|May mean C= 14.7
|Jun mean C= 17.6
|Jul mean C= 20.7
|Aug mean C= 18.9
|Sep mean C= 12.9
|Oct mean C= 5.5
|Nov mean C= 0.7
|Dec mean C= −3.9
|year mean C= 6.6
|Jan low C= −9.7
|Feb low C= −8.3
|Mar low C= −4.5
|Apr low C= 2.3
|May low C= 9.4
|Jun low C= 12.5
|Jul low C= 15.6
|Aug low C= 13.8
|Sep low C= 9.1
|Oct low C= 3.1
|Nov low C= −0.7
|Dec low C= −5.4
|year low C= 3.1
|Jan sun= 37
|Feb sun= 65
|Mar sun= 142
|Apr sun= 213
|May sun= 274
|Jun sun= 299
|Jul sun= 323
|Aug sun= 242
|Sep sun= 171
|Oct sun= 88
|Nov sun= 33
|Dec sun= 14
|source 1= weatheronline.co.uk{{cite web
|url=https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=27612&CONT=euro&R=0&LEVEL=162®ION=0006&LAND=RS&MOD=tab&ART=TEM&NOREGION=1&FMM=1&FYY=2009&LMM=12&LYY=2018
|title=Temperature – Moscow
|website=WeatherOnline
|access-date=January 5, 2021}}
|date=January 2021
}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| Year of
! Jan ! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec ! Year ! Year of ! Jan ! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec ! Year |
|---|
| Record high (max t°C)
| 2007 | 1989 | 2014 | 2012 | 2007 | 2021 | 2010 | 2010 | 1890 | 1915 | 2013 | 2008 | 2010 ! high avg t°C | 2020 | 1990 | 2007 | 2000 | 1979 | 1999 | 2010 | 2010 | 1847 | 1967 | 2013 | 2006 | 2020 |
| Record low (min t°C)
| 1940 | 1929 | 1913 | 1879 | 1885 | 1916 | 1886 | 1885 | 1881 | 1960 | 1890 | 1940 | 1940 ! low avg t°C | 1893 | 1929 | 1860 | 1929 | 1918 | 1904 | 1904 | 1884 | 1993 | 1976 | 1844 | 1788 | 1862 |
{{Moscow weatherbox}}
{{Weather box
|location = Moscow (VVC) normals 1961–1990, records 1879–the present
|collapsed=yes
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 8.6
|Feb record high C = 8.3
|Mar record high C = 19.7
|Apr record high C = 28.6
|May record high C = 33.2
|Jun record high C = 36.0
|Jul record high C = 38.2
|Aug record high C = 37.3
|Sep record high C = 32.3
|Oct record high C = 24.0
|Nov record high C = 14.5
|Dec record high C = 9.6
|year record high C = 38.2
|Jan high C = -6.3
|Feb high C = -4.2
|Mar high C = 1.5
|Apr high C = 10.4
|May high C = 18.4
|Jun high C = 21.7
|Jul high C = 23.1
|Aug high C = 21.5
|Sep high C = 15.4
|Oct high C = 8.2
|Nov high C = 1.1
|Dec high C = -3.5
|year high C = 8.9
|Jan mean C = -9.3
|Feb mean C = -7.7
|Mar mean C = -2.2
|Apr mean C = 5.8
|May mean C = 13.1
|Jun mean C = 16.6
|Jul mean C = 18.2
|Aug mean C = 16.4
|Sep mean C = 11.1
|Oct mean C = 5.1
|Nov mean C = -1.2
|Dec mean C = -6.1
|year mean C = 5.0
|Jan low C = -12.3
|Feb low C = -11.1
|Mar low C = -5.6
|Apr low C = 1.7
|May low C = 7.6
|Jun low C = 11.5
|Jul low C = 13.5
|Aug low C = 12.0
|Sep low C = 7.1
|Oct low C = 2.1
|Nov low C = -3.3
|Dec low C = -8.6
|year low C = 1.2
|Jan record low C = −42.2
|Feb record low C = −38.2
|Mar record low C = −32.4
|Apr record low C = −21.0
|May record low C = −7.5
|Jun record low C = −2.3
|Jul record low C = 1.3
|Aug record low C = −1.2
|Sep record low C = −8.5
|Oct record low C = −16.1
|Nov record low C = −32.8
|Dec record low C = -38.8
|year record low C = −42.2
|Jan precipitation mm = 52
|Feb precipitation mm = 41
|Mar precipitation mm = 35
|Apr precipitation mm = 37
|May precipitation mm = 51
|Jun precipitation mm = 80
|Jul precipitation mm = 85
|Aug precipitation mm = 82
|Sep precipitation mm = 68
|Oct precipitation mm = 71
|Nov precipitation mm = 54
|Dec precipitation mm = 51
|year precipitation mm = 713
|Jan humidity = 83
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 74
|Apr humidity = 67
|May humidity = 64
|Jun humidity = 70
|Jul humidity = 74
|Aug humidity = 77
|Sep humidity = 81
|Oct humidity = 81
|Nov humidity = 84
|Dec humidity = 85
|year humidity = 77
|Jan rain days = 0.8
|Feb rain days = 0.7
|Mar rain days = 3
|Apr rain days = 9
|May rain days = 13
|Jun rain days = 14
|Jul rain days = 15
|Aug rain days = 15
|Sep rain days = 15
|Oct rain days = 12
|Nov rain days = 6
|Dec rain days = 2
|year rain days = 105.5
|Jan snow days = 18
|Feb snow days = 15
|Mar snow days = 9
|Apr snow days = 1
|May snow days = 0.1
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0.1
|Oct snow days = 2
|Nov snow days = 10
|Dec snow days = 17
|year snow days = 72.2
|Jan sun = 33
|Feb sun = 72
|Mar sun = 128
|Apr sun = 170
|May sun = 265
|Jun sun = 279
|Jul sun = 271
|Aug sun = 238
|Sep sun = 147
|Oct sun = 78
|Nov sun = 32
|Dec sun = 18
|year sun = 1731
{{cite web
|url=http://pogoda.ru.net/monitor.php?id=27612
|access-date=2011-01-12
|title=Climate monitor 2005-2011
|language=ru
{{cite web
|url=http://meteoweb.ru/cl006-7.php
|title=Average monthly Sunshine hours
|access-date=2011-01-12
|publisher= Meteoweb.ru
|language=ru
}}
|date=January 2011
}}
{{Weather box
|location = Moscow, records since 1948 (VVC weather st. only)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 8.6
|Feb record high C = 8.3
|Mar record high C = 19.7
|Apr record high C = 28.9
|May record high C = 33.2
|Jun record high C = 36.0
|Jul record high C = 38.2
|Aug record high C = 37.3
|Sep record high C = 29.4
|Oct record high C = 23.7
|Nov record high C = 14.5
|Dec record high C = 9.6
|year record high C = 38.2
|Jan record low C = -38.1
|Feb record low C = -35.2
|Mar record low C = -27.9
|Apr record low C = -18.8
|May record low C = -5.0
|Jun record low C = 0.8
|Jul record low C = 5.1
|Aug record low C = 2.1
|Sep record low C = -5.2
|Oct record low C = -16.1
|Nov record low C = -23.3
|Dec record low C = -38.0
|year record low C = -38.1
|source 1 = {{Cite web |url=http://pogoda.ru.net/weathernews.php?id=3284 |title=2008 was the warmest year in Moscow history (in Russian) |access-date=2009-02-05 }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web|url=http://pogoda.ru.net/climate/27612.htm|title=Pogoda.ru.net |access-date=January 8, 2009 |language=ru}}{{Cite web|url=http://pogoda.ru.net/monitor.php?id=27612|access-date=August 7, 2010|title=August high|language=ru}}
|date=August 2010
}}
Type of precipitation
File:Годовой ход температуры в москве.jpg]]
Most precipitation in Moscow falls as rain, but in winter months almost all precipitation falls as snow, forming firm snow cover. The last wet snow precipitation may be in the beginning of May, and it may restart at the end of September.
= Snow cover =
Snow cover (averaging 4–5 months per year) forms at the end of November and melts by the start of April, although in recent years has not lasted as long as usual. {{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} For example, in the winter of 2006–2007 the snow cover didn't form until the end of January, and melted at the beginning of March; in 2007–2008, the snow cover melted at the end of February, and in the 2008–2009 winter, snow cover didn't form until the end of December, which is two months later than usual. {{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Yet in 2011–2012 it melted in the middle of April.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023|reason=does not seem valid examples; even if true, it needs to be backed up. The snow cover can itself vary yearly.}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;" |
| month
! Jan ! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec |
|---|
| number of days
| 31 | 28 | 28 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 16 | 28 |
| height (cm)
| 26 | 35 | 29 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 13 |
| max.height (cm)
| 63 | 72 | 78 | 61 | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | 25 | 45 |
Wind
= Speed of wind =
The average wind speed is very high. In the city it is near 5 metres per second; in open places and airports it may top 6 metres per second.
== Wind Storms and Tornadoes ==
A few times per season, often in the May–September period during thunderstorms, wind speed may exceed 15–35 metres per second. The last powerful wind storm was in 1998, when wind speed was 30–35 metres per second. 157 persons were injured, 8 died, and 2157 buildings were damaged.{{cite web |url=http://www.rian.ru/spravka/20070710/68678578.html|title=Hurricanes in regions of Russia 1998-2007|date=10 July 2007|access-date=March 23, 2009 |language=ru}}
Tornadoes were recorded in 1904 and 1945{{fact|date=September 2019}} in Moscow and in 1970, 1971, the 1984 Yaroslavl tornado, 1987, 1994, and 1997 in Moscow Oblast 100 km south-east from Moscow (near Zaraysk), in 2005 in Dubna, and on 3 August 2007 in Krasnogorsk.{{Cite web|url=http://www.meteoweb.ru/uragan002.php|title=Meteoweb.ru | Народная метеорология | Красногорский смерч. Наблюдательная программа "Ураган"}}
In the 3 June 2009 tornado, F3http://essl.org/ESWD/ Краснозаводск / Krasnozavodsk Moskva fylke Tornado intensity: F3 T6 registered near Sergiyev Posad, Moscow oblast.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/wfH7C0c2_Mg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140630073531/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfH7C0c2_Mg&feature%20=player_embedded Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfH7C0c2_Mg&feature%20=player_embedded| title = 03062009 | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=http://mutterdu.livejournal.com/12810.html |title=Я в шоке! - mutterdu |access-date=2017-02-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115082953/http://mutterdu.livejournal.com/12810.html |archive-date=2016-01-15 }}{{cite web|url=http://4annel.livejournal.com/60396.html |title=Смерч в Подмосковье - Thumbs up |access-date=2017-02-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115082953/http://4annel.livejournal.com/60396.html |archive-date=2016-01-15 }}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;" |
| Jan
! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec ! year |
|---|
| 2.5
| 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
Сloudiness and day light
File:Храм Влахернской иконы Божией Матери в Кузьминках №1.JPG, 26 June 2013)]]
= Number of clear, cloudy and overcast days =
On average Moscow has 1731 hours of sunshine in a year.{{cite web|url=http://pogoda.ru.net/weathernews.php?id=3284 |title=2008 was the warmest year in Moscow history (in Russian) |access-date=2009-02-05 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In 2004–2008, near 1800–2000 hours.{{cite web |url=http://meteoweb.ru/cl006-4.php |title=Sunshine hours in 2007 (in Russian) |access-date=2009-02-21}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;" |
| ! Jan
! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec ! year |
|---|
| Clear (sunshine)
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 82 |
| Partial sunshine
| 11 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 184 |
| Cloudy (overcast)
| 12 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 98 |
= Daylight, average number of hours/day =
Duration of daylight depends on geographical position of Moscow. It varies from 7 hours 00 minutes on December 22 to 17 hours 34 minutes on June 22. The maximum height of the sun above the horizon is 11° on 22 December and 58° on 22 June.
Near the day of the summer solstice (June 22), the sun does not fall below −12°, thus the nautical twilight occurs throughout this period. Nevertheless, lighting of the navigational twilight is not enough for normal human activity, so the streets need artificial illumination, and it is believed that there are no so-called white nights in Moscow, although the sky remains dark blue, and not black, as, for example, in southern Russia.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| Hours
! Jan (hours) ! Feb (hours) ! Mar (hours) ! Apr (hours) ! May (hours) ! Jun (hours) ! Jul (hours) ! Aug (hours) ! Sep (hours) ! Oct (hours) ! Nov (hours) ! Dec (hours) |
|---|
| Day
| 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.9 | 14.3 | 16.3 | 17.4 | 16.8 | 14.9 | 12.7 | 10.5 | 8.4 | 7.2 |
| Night
| 16.1 | 14.3 | 12.1 | 9.7 | 7.7 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 9.1 |11.3 |13.5 |15.6 |16.8 |
See also
{{Commons category|Climate of Moscow}}
References
- [http://www.hmn.ru/en/index1.php?code=14&value=6#c_table Calculator (The average air temperature, air rate and deviations from it)]
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Coord|55|45|0|N|37|37|0|E|type:landmark_region:RU|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Climate Of Moscow}}