The Russian capital was finally covered by its first layer of snow on Saturday, arriving nearly a month later than usual. Forecasters report that up to one-third of the city’s average monthly precipitation may fall within just one day. Daytime temperatures hover around the freezing point with occasional slight warmth, but after 8 p.m. freezing conditions of about –1 °C are expected.
On Sunday, an anticyclone is forecast to settle over the region, bringing a more stable cold spell with temperatures between –3 and –5 °C.
Meteorologists note that such a late arrival of the first snow is extremely uncommon: in most years it appears between October 19 and 29. The latest snowfall on record occurred in 2013, when the first snow arrived on November 27. The earliest ever was observed on September 21, 1996.