MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. The Meteorological Observatory of Lomonosov Moscow State University recorded 80 centimeters of snow sitting on the ground in some parts of Moscow, the most ever in the 72 years of meteorological observations in the capital, the university’s press service told TASS.
TASS has compiled the main information about the situation.
Record-setter
- The Meteorological Observatory of Moscow State University logged a record-high snow cover height on February 20-80 centimeters – the highest in the 72-year history of observations.
- Moscow’s Vnukovo district, with the heaviest precipitation recorded, was one of the snowiest places on Earth in the last 24 hours, the World Meteorological Organization told TASS.
Snowstorm
- On the night of February 19, a heavy snowfall hit the Moscow Region, caused by a cyclone that arrived in Central Russia from the north of the Adriatic Sea.
- Forecasters predicted that from 3:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Moscow time [12 a.m. to 6 p.m. GMT] on Thursday alone, up to 25 mm of precipitation could fall in Moscow, and snow height could increase by 25-31 cm.
- Before the onset of the storm, the snow cover height at the main Moscow weather station, located on the territory of VDNKh, was 43 cm for the entire current fall-winter period.
- The elevated weather danger level that was introduced in Moscow and the Moscow Region due to the heavy snowfall has been cancelled, the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia told TASS.
- Earlier during the day, the Moscow Region was put under orange weather alert, warning of dangerous weather with the possibility of natural disasters and damage, but from midnight it was lowered to a medium yellow level.
Airport operations
- The airports of the Moscow aviation hub, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, handled 1,026 flights on February 19 amidst the abnormal snowfall with strong winds, Rosaviatsia reported.
- Additionally, crews of eight aircraft decided to land at alternate airfields and 40 flights were cancelled, including seven by foreign carriers.
Situation on roads
- Traffic jams on Moscow roads were especially heavy during the evening rush hour, measuring 9 out of 10 on a scale by the Yandex.Traffic service.
Clearing the snow
- The entire fleet of municipal special equipment in Moscow was mobilized for snow removal, reported the capital's Deputy Mayor, Pyotr Biryukov.
- According to him, cleaning is underway on key highways, streets, pedestrian zones and sidewalks, and courtyard areas, including through rotary snow transfer; collected snow banks are being hauled away.
- He emphasized that utility services have begun clearing snow off the roofs of apartment buildings, protruding elements of building facades, gutters, and drainpipes of snow and ice.
- Work sites were cordoned off with tape and special barriers to prevent pedestrian passage.
- Continuous monitoring of the street and road network condition is ongoing.
- Emergency teams from engineering companies and prefectures of administrative districts are on 24-hour duty.
- Tow trucks and heavy truck cranes are on standby on the Moscow Ring Road and in the Troitsky and Novomoskovsky administrative districts to assist truck drivers.
- Authorities called on citizens to show understanding associated with the work of clearing snow from the city and its removal, and not to hinder the operation of municipal equipment.
- About 2 thousand km of tracks were cleared of snow on the Moscow Railway overnight. Over 1,700 people and 103 units of special equipment were involved in clearing the infrastructure, a representative of the railway told TASS.
- According to him, 132 snowplows were deployed on the line today.
- They operate on a special schedule to avoid interfering with train traffic.
- More than three thousand people are participating in clearing track and passenger infrastructure.
- All work to eliminate the aftermath of the bad weather on the Moscow Railway is coordinated by a special task force.