Moscow may get up to 40% of April precipitation norm within 24 hours
MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - A heavy snowfall hit Moscow on April 1. Weathermen forecast sharply deteriorating conditions.
"The updated forecast says up to 18 millimeters of precipitation - a mix of snow and rain - may fall in the city within the next 24 hours," a source at the hydro-meteorological bureau of Moscow and the Moscow region told Interfax.
"This is about 40% of the April precipitation norm of 44 millimeters," he said.
Temperatures will grow to 5 degrees Centigrade and the mix of snow and rain will transform into rainfall in Moscow in the afternoon, the source said.
Meanwhile, the heavy snowfall has not disrupted traffic at the Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports and no planes had to land on alternative airfields. Visibility is sufficient for the pilots, Moscow air hub dispatchers told Interfax.
"Most aircraft are taking off and landing on schedule. Insignificant delays are possible for cleaning the airfields from snow and treating aircraft with anti-icing agents before takeoffs," the source said.
City meteorological observatories reported snow accumulation of 327 centimeters in the winter season of 2012-2013. The average snow accumulation norm in Moscow is 152 centimeters.
The city accumulated 102 centimeters of snow in March, a source at the hydro-meteorological bureau of Moscow and the Moscow region told Interfax on March 31. "That was 2.95 times more than the climatic norm, 34 centimeters," the source said.
Up to five centimeters of snow fell in the early morning hours of March 31, while the snow depth in the city was 69 centimeters as of March 31 morning.
Nevertheless, weathermen hope that spring will finally come this week: temperatures will grow to 10 or even 12 degrees Centigrade by Friday.