🏰 Moscow Weather

Long, hard continental winters

Moscow lies deep in the European interior of Russia, far from any moderating ocean, and its humid continental climate brings long, cold, snowy winters and short, warm summers. The seasonal range is dramatic — well over 100°F (56°C) between the depths of winter and the peak of summer — and winter is unmistakably the dominant season.

Cold, snowy, dark winters

Winters are long and cold, running from November into March, with January highs around 21°F (−6°C) and frequent plunges far below 0°F (−18°C) when Arctic air settles in. Snow blankets the city for months, and daylight is scarce — under eight hours near midwinter. The cold and snow are simply a way of life.

Warm, brief summers

Summers are surprisingly warm and pleasant, with July highs around 74°F (23°C), long daylight, and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Heat waves do occur — the extreme summer of 2010 brought choking smoke and record heat past 100°F (38°C) — but the warm season is short, and Muscovites embrace it fully.

Moscow averages about 28 inches (710 mm) of precipitation a year, including heavy winter snow, with a summer rainfall peak. Spring and autumn are short, muddy transitions — locals speak of the "rasputitsa," the season when thawing snow turns ground to mud.

A long, hard continental winter

Moscow's humid continental climate delivers long, cold winters and short, warm summers. Snow covers the ground from November into April, January lows sit well below 14°F (-10°C), and short winter days with heavy cloud make for a genuinely dark, cold season.

Summers are pleasantly warm and the sunniest time of year, with occasional heat waves — the extreme summer of 2010 brought smoke and record 100°F (38°C) heat. Spring and autumn are brief transitions, and the deep winter snowpack and hard freeze are simply a fact of life this far into the continental interior.