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Moscow heat wave breaks 129-year-old record

The previous warmest May 20 in Moscow was in 1897, when the air temperature reached 29.7 degrees Celsius

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. The abnormal heat wave currently gripping Moscow has broken a 129-year-old temperature record, the Russian Hydrometeorological Center told TASS.

"According to the latest data, thermometers at the main weather station in northwest Moscow rose to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). This means a new daily temperature record has been set," a source said. He noted that the previous warmest May 20 in Moscow was in 1897, when the air temperature reached 29.7 degrees Celsius (85.46 degrees Fahrenheit).

The TASS source emphasized that this is already the second temperature record set since the start of this week. The day before, the air in the city warmed up to 30.3 degrees Celsius (86.54 Fahrenheit), exceeding the previous record set on May 19, 1979.

Earlier, the Russian Hydrometeorological Center told TASS that temperatures in the capital and the Moscow Region could reach 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) today. Due to the abnormal heat, which may last until Friday, an orange weather alert is in effect in Moscow and the Moscow Region, as well as in other regions of Central Russia, warning of dangerous weather conditions with a risk of natural disasters and damage.

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