No warming expected? Forecasters detail Moscow's February weather

Winter in the capital will last at least through all of February. Meteorologists agree that the last month of the calendar winter will not bring Muscovites an early spring, although it may surprise with periods of weak thaw throughout the month. The beginning of February, on the contrary, will freeze the capital«s residents.

“According to preliminary data, the beginning of February will be very cold,” Mikhail Leus, lead specialist at the Fobos weather center, told MSK1.RU. “Snow will fall. Daytime temperatures will be down to -15 degrees Celsius (5°F).”

He added that overall, the average temperature for the month is expected to be 1–2 degrees below the climatic norm, but there is hope for improved weather in the third decade of the month.

Recall that the climatic norm for February in Moscow is about -5.5 degrees Celsius (22°F).

“People should understand that February is a winter month for us. And the average monthly temperature of February is not much different from that of January,” added Tatyana Pozdnyakova, chief specialist at the capital«s weather bureau, in a conversation with MSK1.RU. According to her, the coldest days of the year fall precisely at the junction of January and February.

Residents of the capital region should not relax and expect quick warmth. However, in recent years, February almost always has several days with above-zero temperatures. Whether there will be such days this year, forecasters cannot yet say for sure, but many predictive models assume them.

“Everyone wants the snow to melt faster. There«s no reason to count on that yet,” the forecaster explained.

As for snowfalls, long-term forecasts, according to Mikhail Leus, cannot detail the activity of cyclones. But traditionally, February is not the snowiest month — the precipitation norm is 44 mm. Although, as Pozdnyakova notes, history knows exceptions: for example, in 1957, almost three monthly norms fell in one month.