MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. A recent snowfall storm that hit Moscow and surrounding areas on January 9 was registered as one of the strongest in the 146-year history of meteorological observations in the capital of Russia, a source in the country’s Hydrometeorological Center reported to TASS.

"The snowfall closes the top five for the entire period of meteorological observations," the source stated, noting that the reported natural calamity was also among the three heaviest snowfalls recorded in Moscow since the beginning of the 21st century.

According to weather forecasters, the largest amount of precipitation per day in winter was registered at the main Moscow weather observation station located at VDNKh on February 4, 2018 (24.2 mm), December 14, 1981 (23.2 mm), January 8, 1970 (23.0 mm), December 12, 2022 (22.6 mm) and January 9, 2026 (21.4 mm).

Heavy snowfalls, brought by the Mediterranean cyclone, hit Moscow and its surrounding regions on January 8. It erupted after 3:00 p.m. Moscow time (12-00 a.m. GMT) in the southeastern and eastern regions of the Moscow region and soon spread over the entire Moscow metropolitan area.

Precipitation reached its peak on January 9th. Since the beginning of the year, precipitation in Moscow has exceeded 35 mm, which is 67% of the norm of 53 mm in January. Utility services in Moscow and the Moscow Region keep working around the clock to eliminate the effects of bad weather as soon as possible.