The heat wave continues to affect the Moscow region, and Thursday may end upbeing the hottest day of the entire heat wave and also the hottest day ever inthe recorded history of Moscow.As of 4 p.m. local time Thursday, Moscow is a sweltering 100 degrees F (37.8C) after an uncomfortable low of 79 F (26.1 C) Thursday morning. The all-timerecord high is 100 F and has been tied twice in the last week and a newall-time record high is likely to be set Thursday as the city still had a fewhours of heating as of the time of this writing.
People in non-essential jobs are being urged to stay home from work and torefrain from driving their cars as there are major issues with air quality.
More than 1,000 peat fires have flared up in the last several weeks due to theheat and the lack of rain, and this in conjunction with the heat have causedsmog levels to be 10 times the safe level in Moscow.
Because of Moscow's climate, very few homes or businesses have airconditioning, and even indoors it is dangerous for people who are ill, the veryyoung and the elderly.
Temperatures this month are averaging 8 degrees above normal, which is anunbelievable figure. All aspects of life in Moscow and surrounding areas arebeing affected by the combination of near-drought conditions and the heat.
People with respiratory problems are being told to take proper precautions,crops are suffering, water supplies are being stressed and numerous wildfiresare being reported as well. Hundreds and perhaps even thousands of drowningdeaths have been reported across western Russia as people try to find relief inlakes, ponds, rivers and streams as they are only places where people canswim.
However, there is relief in sight. This weekend, a cold front will move intothe area and will cause scattered thunderstorms and will also knocktemperatures down a few degrees. However, a widespread, soaking, steadyrainfall is not expected and temperatures, while lower than extreme levelsrecently experienced, will still be above the average.
Story by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Mark Paquette