Overnight temperatures in Moscow rose six degrees above the climate norm on September 23, reaching summer levels more typical of July, weather experts reported.
The main VDNKh weather station in the Russian capital registered a minimum temperature of plus 12.5 degrees Celsius during the night. In central Moscow at the Balchug station, readings reached plus 13.4 degrees Celsius, according to Yevgeny Tishkovets, a leading specialist at the Fobos weather centre.
Speaking to the RIA Novosti news agency, Tishkovets said the overnight weather across the city was unusually warm for late September. He explained that minimum temperatures of this level are usually recorded in July rather than near the end of the first month of autumn.
The VDNKh meteorological station, located at the Exhibition of Attainments of National Economy in northern Moscow, serves as the primary baseline for the capital's historical climate statistics. The Balchug weather monitoring station sits on an island in the Moskva River opposite the Kremlin, where built-up urban infrastructure frequently traps heat and produces higher local readings than outer residential districts. Fobos is a commercial weather forecasting centre in Russia that provides regular meteorological monitoring.
Regional readings and weekend outlook
Warmer conditions were recorded in surrounding settlements across Moscow Oblast during the same night. Tishkovets noted that the highest regional temperatures overnight occurred in Sergiyev Posad, Cherusti, and Elektrougli, where thermometers registered plus 14.5 degrees, plus 14.3 degrees, and plus 14.0 degrees Celsius respectively.
Moscow Oblast is the administrative region that encompasses the towns and territories surrounding the capital city. Sergiyev Posad is a historic city located north of Moscow, Cherusti lies in the eastern portion of the region, and Elektrougli is situated in the eastern suburban belt.
Further unseasonable warmth is expected to continue into the coming days. Marina Makarova, a leading specialist at the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, previously reported that temperatures in Moscow during the upcoming weekend are forecasted to be approximately 2.5 degrees Celsius above the climate norm. The Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, headquartered in Moscow, is the country's official national meteorological agency responsible for state weather monitoring.
