Europe Faces 40-Degree Heatwave, While Russia Sees Coldest Summer in 63 Years

Putin Says, "Winter Is Still Far Away, But It Might Come Sooner Than Expected"

Unlike Europe, where news of heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius continues, Russia is experiencing its coldest summer in about 60 years.

According to RIA Novosti on July 3 (local time), the Russian Meteorological Agency reported that the temperature in Moscow reached 14.3 degrees Celsius at the VDNkh observatory on July 1. This was the lowest temperature recorded on July 1 since 1962, when it was 13.5 degrees Celsius?marking a 63-year low.

People are taking a walk in Moscow. Photo by TASS Yonhap News.

In the second half of June, daytime highs in Moscow ranged from about 13 to 19 degrees Celsius, while nighttime temperatures dropped to 8 to 9 degrees Celsius. It also rained almost every day. Media outlets reported that Russians, who had endured a long winter and were looking forward to a warm and sunny summer, are disappointed by this weather.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a government meeting the previous day, "We were just talking about winter. Winter is still far away, but looking at the current weather, it might come sooner than expected." He added, "One day, summer suddenly arrives with a bang, and just when you think the heat has started, the cold returns with a snap."

Meteorological expert Alexey Kokorin told RIA Novosti that it is not unusual to see such weather phenomena in the Moscow region. He added, "Only the first month of summer has passed, and just a few days of the second month have gone by," emphasizing that it is too early to judge the entire summer as cold.

Meteorologists explained that the continued low temperatures were due to the influence of a strong Arctic low-pressure system. They expect that once the low-pressure system moves away, temperatures will rise to 26 to 28 degrees Celsius by the middle of this month. On the morning of July 3, the temperature in Moscow was recorded at 21 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, according to CNN in the United States, The Guardian in the United Kingdom, and AFP, French authorities issued a heatwave advisory across the country on July 1 (local time). On that day alone, 1,900 schools were closed. The meteorological agency predicted that temperatures in some parts of France would soar to 40 to 41 degrees Celsius.