Sun over Pushkin Square again.
The Unpredictability of Moscow in March
March is one of those months in Russia when you never know what you’re gonna get weather wise. It’s March, so winter should be over and spring should be here, right?!?, One would think so!!! But in Moscow, the lines of spring and winter are not so clear cut as in other parts of the world. In Moscow it is not uncommon for snow to fall in March, even late March (well, lets be honest it’s not SO uncommon in April or May either). In the blink of an eye a sunny day can be transformed into the foulest of weather and then blink again and you’ll think the snow must have been your imagination.
Yes, still snowing heavilly
Case in point, March 20, 2008: It was beautiful sunny early spring day in Moscow. The temperature was crisp, perhaps even cold, but definitely not freezing. The snow had vanished weeks before and only the tiniest remnants of once thick ice piles remained on the streets. The trees were beginning to blossom, the tulip bulbs were planted and the air smelled fresh (well as fresh as air can smell in Moscow). It was one of those days in which you could really believe winter had retreated for the season.
The day was beautiful until about 3:30 when the skies grew dark and the grayness of winter once again covered the city.
Thin layer of snow is all that remains of the days sudden and snowy cloud burst.
Within moments of the skies darkening large white flakes of snow began to fall.
The pace of the snowfall accelerated and within minutes
Pushkin Square went from sun drenched to gray to completely and utterly white with snow.
For about 10 minutes the snow fell furiously (all the while my co-workers and I frolicked about like children on the office balcony), and then, as quickly as it began, the snow stopped the clouds rolled away and the sun once again began to shine.
Losing interest, I returned to the office with my co-workers only occasionally looked out the window watching as the thin blanket of snow covering the streets receded into small pools and rivulets of water running down the streets. For about an hour the sun shone on Moscow and then once again, abruptly and without warning, the skies darkened and white out conditions descended upon central Moscow.
Snow falling on me during sudden snow flurry.
With snow falling outside our windows my colleagues and I (of course) rushed to the balcony again to witness and enjoy the sudden snow burst first hand.
The snow fell in heavy flakes for about 15 more minutes and once again the skies suddenly cleared and only a thin layer of white lay as evidence of any snow fall at all. Twice more during the next hour the snow would fall and vanish only to be replaced by another sudden blanket of frozen white. After four back to back series of sun and snow, snow and sun the clouds finally departed leaving clear skies for the remainder of the day. With clear spring skies in the morning and at dusk anyone working in a building without windows would have left work around 7:00pm (standard end of the work day in Moscow) never having known of winter’s momentary return to Moscow in the mid-afternoon.
And the sun is back.
The point of the story, of course, is March in Moscow weird and unpredictable time when it comes to weather so be prepared when visiting and keep your eyes to the skies so you don’t miss anything!!!
PS - So, the day after I wrote this (in early July) suddenly I found myself in an a similarly unpredictable weather situation as last March. No, no snow...but still sun and then rain alternating throughout the day with the temperature dropping and jumping at least 10 degrees (F) with each weather switch. So the real lesson is either A. Moscow is unpredictable all year or B. I should stop writing about the weather because it is bad luck. :)
