Floodwaters overtook some areas of Moscow for a second time in a week on Monday after intense thunderstorms and heavy rain swept across the Russian capital.
By 9 a.m., a weather station at the city’s VDNKh park had recorded 33% of Moscow’s average monthly rainfall, according to meteorologist Evgeny Tishkovets.
“Moscow has now met its monthly rainfall norm, and the surrounding Moscow region has exceeded it,” Tishkovets wrote on Telegram, adding that the heaviest downpours were seen in the city’s northwestern districts.
Videos shared on social media showed submerged parking lots, cars driving through waterlogged underpasses and pedestrians wading through flooded underground walkways. In some areas, floodwaters swept away soil, scattering it across roadways.
Rain is expected to continue throughout the day. Moscow’s Transportation Department urged residents to avoid driving and use public transportation if possible.
A yellow weather alert is in effect for Moscow and the surrounding region until 9 p.m. Monday. Forecasters are warning of strong winds with gusts up to 15 meters per second, as well as localized thunderstorms with hail.
Transportation officials said flooding could disrupt traffic along major routes, including the Moscow Automobile Ring Road and the Third Ring Road.
Monday’s flooding resembled scenes from last Tuesday, when torrential rains were reported to have dumped a month’s worth of precipitation on parts of the city in under two hours.
Climate scientists have long warned that Russia, warming 2.5 times faster than the global average, is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events, including prolonged heat waves and heavy rainfall.
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