On November 18, the Russian capital Moscow recorded a rare weather phenomenon. At a time when the city was usually starting to sink into the cold and snow of winter, the temperature suddenly skyrocketed to record levels.
Roman Vilfand, scientific director of the Russian Hydrological Center, confirmed to Moscow's temperature press on November 18 that it had reached 9.5 degrees Celsius. This figure officially breaks the old record of 9.4 degrees Celsius, which was set in 1940 and has existed for the past 84 years.
"The temperature has reached 9.5 degrees Celsius, making today the warmest November 18 since 1879. And the temperature is still rising," Vilfand stressed. Comparisons to the 1879 mark show that this is an extremely rare weather event in the past century in the Russian capital.
However, Russia's top meteorologist warned that this "spring-like" weather is just a peaceful one before the storm. Mr. Vilfand noted that people need to be especially cautious because the weather will develop according to the "super-fast flying" scenario.
That same evening, the temperature dropped dramatically to only 1 degree Celsius. The large temperature difference that occurs in a short time, combined with strong gusts of wind, will create extremely dangerous conditions for traffic and pedestrians.
The reason is that the amount of moisture and rainwater will not be able to evaporate and will freeze immediately when the temperature drops to nearly 0 degrees Celsius in the evening. This phenomenon will create a thin layer of ice on the road surface (commonly known as "black ice cream"), turning the roads and sidewalks into ski areas.
Authorities recommend that drivers be extremely cautious due to the sudden decrease in road compliance, and pedestrians should be on guard against slipping to avoid unfortunate accidents. This erratic weather phenomenon is a typical example of climate instability during the transitional period in Russia this year.
