Moscow and several major cities across the European part of Russia are sweltering under a record-breaking spring heatwave, with summer-like temperatures expected to grip the capital until the weekend.
Russia’s Hydrometeorological Center said Moscow shattered a daily record on Tuesday after the temperature in the city climbed to 30.6 degrees Celsius (87 degrees Fahrenheit). The previous record was set in 1979.
Meteorologists at the Phobos weather center confirmed that Monday and Tuesday marked the warmest consecutive period of 2026 for the capital. Forecasters expect the intense heat to hold through Friday, with afternoon highs hovering around 32 C (90 F).
The sudden blast of heat follows an unusually tumultuous spring. Just weeks ago, a rare, late-April winter storm pelted the capital, breaking a daily snowfall record that had stood for nearly 150 years.
Beyond Moscow, St. Petersburg logged its first 30 C (86 F) day of the year on Tuesday, while other northern cities like Kostroma and Perm shattered daytime records on Monday that had remained unbroken since 1955.
Meteorologists say the unseasonable high temperatures are being caused by a stagnant, high-pressure atmospheric blocking system centered over the Ural Mountains. The system’s cloudless skies have trapped intense solar radiation across western Russia while pulling up hot, dry subtropical winds from Central Asia.
Unlike Moscow, where the heat will linger, St. Petersburg is tracking a swift cold front sweeping in from the Baltic Sea by Wednesday evening, which will bring temperatures back down to a cool 15.6 C (60 F).
Meanwhile, southern Russia has been battered by severe thunderstorms, flash floods and mudslides due to a low-pressure storm system, Russia’s Hydrometeorological Center said.
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