RUSSIA: Muscovites brave freezing temperatures as cold snap grips Russia, with the Caspian Sea freezing in the country's south

Record ID: 333215

  • Title: RUSSIA: Muscovites brave freezing temperatures as cold snap grips Russia, with the Caspian Sea freezing in the country's south
  • Date: 2nd February 2012
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 1, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS KREMLIN AND MOSCOW RIVER VIEWS TRAFFIC ON BRIDGE OVER MOSCOW RIVER PERSON WALKING OVER BRIDGE VARIOUS CITY VIEWS CITY WORKER SHOVELING SNOW (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT NATALIA, SAYING: "It's fine - you should have winter (temperatures) when it's winter, so everything's fine. February will also be cold." PEDESTRIANS WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT OLESIA ROMANENKA, SAYING "I actually take this (weather) really hard because I've lived abroad for the last five years and I haven't probably been in such a cold winter for five years. I myself am from Siberia and there it's a lot colder than here. Right now it's minus 44 (Celcius) there, so, well, it's a bit cold." TRAFFIC ON MOSCOW STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) REALTOR ALEXANDER LEGKO, SAYING: "Well, in principle we get used to it. We've had this before, I think - it's not the first time, not off the scale. It's just switched places a little - usually it's in the second half of January, and now the cold just came late. But otherwise it's not too hard." PEDESTRIANS WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT LARISSA LETOVCHENKO, SAYING: "I think this is better than when it's cold, damp, and sleeting. First of all you can walk more or less alright, and your clothes stay clean, and second of all, well, the only (bad) thing is that it's a bit cold in the morning because you sometimes have to wait for (public) transportation for a long time, but otherwise, frost, in principle, is better."
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVABD88YV9K3GYAI5XPWSCCL8ZVT
  • Story Text: : A severe frost hit Russia on Wednesday (February 1), lowering temperatures in many regions from Siberia, to Moscow, and freezing the Caspian Sea near Dagestan in the country's south.
    In Moscow temperatures hovered around minus 20 Celcius (-4 Farenheit), but residents of Russia's capital city were taking the cold spell in stride.

    "It's fine - you should have winter (temperatures) when it's winter, so everything's fine. February will also be cold," Natalia, a Moscow resident told Reuters.
    Another resident, however, said she was having a hard time readjusting to the cold after living outside of Russia for several years.

    "I actually take this (weather) really hard because I've lived abroad for the last five years and I probably in such a cold winter for five years. I myself am from Siberia and there it's a lot colder than here. Right now it's minus 44 (Celcius) there, so, well, it's a bit cold," Olesia Romanenka told Reuters.
    Over 50 Russian regions are currently experiencing abnormally low temperatures, according to media reports.

    "Well, in principle we get used to it. We've had this before, I think - it's not the first time, not off the scale. It's just switched places a little - usually it's in the second half of January, and now the cold just broke out late. But otherwise it's not too hard," Moscow realtor Alexander Legko told Reuters.
    Another Moscow resident said she preferred the dry cold to warmer winter weather with sleet.

    "I think this is better than when it's cold, damp, and sleeting. First of all you can walk more or less alright, and your clothes stay clean, and second of all, well, the only (bad) thing is that it's a bit cold in the morning because you sometimes have to wait for (public) transportation for a long time, but otherwise, frost, in principle, is better," Moscow resident Larissa Letovchenko told Reuters.
    In Dagestan, in Russia's south, cold temperatures froze the Caspian Sea. Residents of the North Caucasus region ventured out onto the frozen body of water on foot and with their vehicles.
    The temperature in Dagestan has dropped to around minus 15 Celcius (five degrees Farenheit) with ice in the bay close to 15 centimetres (5.9 inches) thick.
    On Tuesday (January 31) Russia's top gas producer Gazprom was forced to restrict export flows of gas to Europe due to the severe cold weather.
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