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Weather Overview for Moscow

Moscow features a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and warm, humid summers. The typical weather of Moscow can be easily categorised into two major seasons: the hot and the cold. Moscow is a city with major climatic extremes, the summers tends to be warm but can on occasions encounter mass heat waves while the winter is generally cold and during the coldest months can see temperatures drop well below freezing point resulting in days of icy weather and snow.

Summer (Hot Season)

The summer which typically lasts from May and concludes in October sees surprisingly warm and appealing weather, particularly through the months of June, July and August. From April the cold weather begins to improve as the remaining snow starts to thaw and everything turns to slush. By May the everyday weather has made an exceptionally large incline by means of daytime temperatures are precipitation levels. Daytime temperatures generally rise from an average of 2°C to 15°C from April to the end of May. High temperatures from June to August range anywhere 20°C to 25°C, occasionally rising into the high twenties. It is also common for the city features extreme heat waves anywhere from May to the end of September. The heat waves generally last for one or two weeks as the average temperature sores up beyond 30°C, the air throughout this time tends to be humid and clammy causing an unpleasant atmosphere to its surroundings. The daytime temperature remains pleasing right through September; although by mid-October frosts begin to occur during the night and nearly all precipitation comes in the form of snow.

Winter (Cold Season)

In Moscow, the extensive winter months can feature bitterly cold and very unpleasant weather, so if you’re planning a vacation during this time it’s always a good idea to pack plenty of warm clothing, including thick jackets and warm hats. Although these months are extremely cold, it is common for visitors to escape to the nearby bars and warm up by drinking the local Russian vodka. In Moscow January and February have the tendency in being the coldest two months of the year as the climate rarely ever sits above freezing point. During both day and night temperatures average -10°C and quite commonly drop to as low as 15°C or below in early hours of the morning. However, during these months a warming wind has been be known to bypass the city from the south and can briskly raise the climate to 0°C or 1°C. Daylight hours during the winter are extremely low, averaging at two or three hours each day during the coldest months. Although year round Moscow experiences a lot of rainfall, the majority of all precipitation during the winter months comes as snowfall. For about three to five months each year Moscow is generally snow covered.