MOSCOW, January 20 (Itar-Tass) – Moscow City communal utility services are bracing themselves for tackling a very snowfall, which according to forecasts may add another 18 centimeters of flake precipitation to the snow banks already lying on city streets.
Pyotr Biryukov, a deputy mayor of the city, a snowstorm will brought along by an atmospheric front approaching the city
“We expect a worsening of visibility and icing on the roads,” he said adding that the public utility services are fully armed for tackling the snowfall in the right way.
The effort to clear the streets will involve 15,500 specialized vehicles including 6,500 dump trucks. Also, an army of almost 37,000 street sweepers will throw their shoulder into the removal of snow.
Biryukov urged the owners of private cars to refrain from going to the downtown areas on their cars except to the situations of extreme necessity. As for those who plan using their cars anyway, he asked them to observe the established speed rates, to stay away from tailgating, and to comply with the regulations for parking in effect in Moscow.
In the meantime, teams of public utility workers continued cleaning up the aftermaths of the snowfalls that occurred in Moscow in the middle of last week.
Works continued nonstop round the clock. In connection with this, the municipal authorities set up special pavilions where the workers could warm up and take a cup of tea or coffee.
At the time of reporting, Moscow City and Moscow region weather forecasting services issued warning about bad weather that would stay in effect until 22:00 hours Moscow Standard Time /18:00 hours GMT/.
They indicated that the weather would be spoiling gradually starting from the Moscow region’s western district and onwards to the east.
The arriving southern cyclone is expected to bring along snow that may be very intense in some places.
Within the boundaries of Moscow proper, the intensity of snow is due to increase in the coming several hours. The quantity of precipitation will likely reach 5 centimeters to 10 centimeters in the next few hours.
Visibility on the roads may worsen to 300 to 500 meters after the start of the snowfall and impediments to traffic in the form of snow mounds, ground swelling and icing may appear on the pavements.