Moscow wonders where winter has gone as temperatureshit 133-year high

MOSCOW: Residents of Moscow are wondering where winter has gone as the highest December temperatures for 133 years deprive the Russian capital of its customary covering of snow.

“This is not our winter,” said pensioner Ludmila Biryukova. “It came from somewhere else.”At a time when snow often blankets the streets and icicles hang from buildings, the temperature in Moscow is expected to reach 6 Celsius (42.8 Fahrenheit) overnight on Wednesday, according to Elena Vosolyuk of the FOBOS weather centre.

The last time Moscow was warmer than 5.3C on Dec. 18 was in 1886, she said. The usual air temperature for December 18 is minus 6.2C, according to Russia’s Hydrometeorological Research Centre.