RUSSIA: Moscow hit by yet another heavy snowfall, and with spring seeming an increasingly distant prospect, locals joke about the 55th of February on the calendar

Record ID: 858107

  • Title: RUSSIA: Moscow hit by yet another heavy snowfall, and with spring seeming an increasingly distant prospect, locals joke about the 55th of February on the calendar
  • Date: 25th March 2013
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 25, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KREMLIN IN SNOW PEOPLE WALKING TO ST. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL VARIOUS OF MAN CLEANING SNOW ON RED SQUARE VARIOUS OF PILES OF SNOW IN FRONT OF KREMLIN TRACTORS CLEANING SNOW IN FRONT OF KREMLIN MAN SHOVELLING SNOW FROM ROOF STREET IN SNOW SNOW PLOUGH CLEANING SNOW ON STREET WIND BLOWING SNOW FROM ROOF STREET IN SNOW STREET WORKERS CLEANING SNOW VARIOUS OF STREET WORKER WITH SNOW CLEARING MACHINE MAN AND DOG IN SNOW (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT NIKITA, SAYING: "It's a great weather. We're a bit tired of it. But it's always like that: when it's late Easter it's late spring." (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENTS ANZHELA AND DMITRY, SAYING: "The weather is excellent. We really like it. Great snow." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN SNOW PILES OF SNOW ON STREET TRACTOR DRIVING INTO PILE OF SNOW PEOPLE WALKING IN SNOW (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT LARISA, SAYING: "It's terrible. I think it's the 55th of February, not the 25th of March. Bad weather." (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) STREET WORKER VLADIMIR, SAYING: "Not good. We are street workers, we have been working for so long over the whole of winter, and now this. April's coming! April! And we have snowfall after snowfall. You can't even imagine what will be further on." VARIOUS OF PARKED CARS COVERED IN SNOW
  • Embargoed: 9th April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • City:
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Environment,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVABZ3XB6TXMT4U1J382868DHSGY
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Spring became an increasingly distant prospect for Russians as Moscow was hit by yet another snowfall on Monday (March 25) causing traffic jams and flights disruptions.
    Weather forecasters said that a third of the monthly March snow average fell on Moscow in just 24 hours.
    Snow caused several dozen flights from Moscow airports to be delayed, while the Russian capital became paralysed in huge traffic jams. The biggest one on the Moscow ring road stretched for 20 kilometres.
    Some locals trudging throw snow took the white weather in stride.
    "It's a great weather. We're a bit tired of it. But it's always like that: when it's late Easter it's late spring," Moscow resident Nikita said.
    Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on May 5 this year.
    "The weather is excellent. We really like it. Great snow," local residents Anzhela and Dmitry told Reuters.
    More than 15,000 snow ploughs and tractors were dispatched on Moscow streets but huge snow piles were still seen even in central Moscow, with Red Square and the Kremlin all covered in snow.
    "It's terrible. I think it's the 55th of February, not the 25th of March. Bad weather," local resident Larisa said.
    And the weather has taken its toll on public workers as well.
    "Not good. We are street workers, we have been working for so long over the whole of winter, and now this. April's coming! April! And we have snowfall after snowfall. You can't even imagine what will be further on," Vladimir, whose job is to clear the snow in winter, complained.
    The snowfall is expected to become even heavier by nightfall.
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