Blue Moscow snowstorms: what Cyclone Frances brought

Cyclone Frances hit Moscow on the night of January 9 with a heavy snowstorm, accompanied by wind gusts up to 15-18 m/s and a decrease in air temperature. This led to the formation of snow drifts and ice on roads in the capital and the Moscow region. What other unpleasant surprises the Balkan cyclone has brought us can be found in the Izvestia article.

What to expect from Cyclone Frances

As forecasters warned, the peak intensity of snowfall occurred on January 9th and the storm will last throughout the day. According to forecasts, up to 33 mm of precipitation will fall in the city and the region, which will amount to about 63% of the total January norm. The height of the snow cover will increase almost one and a half times. Such a volume has not been recorded in the entire history of regular observations in January. All this creates serious problems for transport and public services.

In the south and south-east of the Moscow region, up to two-thirds of the monthly precipitation fell over the past day, with the largest amount falling in Kashira, where the figure was 65%.

"Two—thirds of the monthly precipitation rate has fallen in the Moscow region, and snowdrifts will rise to a record 65 cm in January by evening in Moscow," said Evgeny Tishkovets, a leading specialist at the Phobos weather center. "The heaviest snowfalls occurred in the south and south—east of the Moscow region: Kashira - 26 mm, which is 65% of the monthly norm, Cherusti and Kolomna — 21 mm, Mikhailovskoye — 20 mm, Pavlovsky Posad — 19 mm."

The specialist stressed that the Balkan cyclone that struck the capital and its region was also reflected at the VDNKh and Baltschug weather stations, where 10 mm of precipitation was recorded. In addition, an indicator of 13 mm was taken at the Lomonosov Moscow State University weather Station. The forecaster said that snowfall in the metropolitan area will decrease only after 21:00 time and will become weak on the night and morning of Saturday, January 10.

The air temperature in Moscow during the day will range from -11 to -9 degrees. At night, the thermometer will drop to -11. In the Moscow region, the temperature will drop to -13 degrees in some places. A northeasterly wind with a speed of 6-11 m/s is expected, with gusts of up to 18 m/s in some places. The atmospheric pressure will be 734-738 mmHg.

The Traffic Safety Center (TSODD) called on Muscovites to abandon trips by private vehicles and use the subway.

The Department of Transport of the capital added that 36 crews of the Data Center Highway Patrol on pickups and KAMAZ trucks have been deployed on the city's roads. They quickly pull out trucks stuck on difficult sections and slopes, as well as help participants in road accidents.

According to Andrey Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, more than 28.7 thousand people and more than 9.5 thousand pieces of equipment were involved in fighting the elements on regional and municipal roads.

How the cyclone affected airport operations

Bad weather in the Moscow region has already led to an adjustment in the flight schedule of aviation. Apron services have been put on high alert, and departing planes are being treated for icing. A supply of reagents and liquids has been created at airports.

"This is an objective necessity related to flight safety during the winter period. — Artem Korenyako, a representative of the Federal Air Transport Agency, wrote in his Telegram channel - In this regard, there are adjustments to the flight schedule. Two aircraft left for alternate airfields last night."

Korenyako also said that Sheremetyevo Airport was operating normally in conditions of snowfall. At Domodedovo, the weather does not make significant adjustments, aircraft are serviced on schedule, although minor changes are possible due to the closure of the runway for cleaning.