Muscovites have been taken aback as knee-deep snow has been replaced virtually overnight with torrents of dirty water and icy swamps. Add in some biting winds, and the Russian capital has turned into one massive skating rink.
A heavy rainfall hit Moscow overnight, coinciding with a sudden warming and temperatures rising to plus two degrees Celsius – normally it would be around 10 below zero. Meteorologists say the “abnormal” warming combined with rain will persist.
Meanwhile, the rain washed away the piles of white snow from Moscow streets, replacing it with slush and mud. A lot of people found it quite difficult to get to work Friday morning, as the streets were blocked with “rivers,” with dozens of complaints streaming in to the city authorities.
Muscovites took to social media to show images of cars trapped in water in the middle of the street, and people hanging on to fences in an attempt not to fall into the deep puddles. Some of them blamed the disastrous situation on the roads on the poor work of public utility services.
“People are going to work”
“I see rivers. Where are the roads?” reads the caption.
“Winter is leaking.”
“You’d better go without the car today! No utility service workers whatsoever…No chemicals, no sand…”
“The weather is nothing but upsetting. Yesterday I slipped and got bruised.”
Several users compared the full-flowing rivers on the streets to Noah’s Flood.
“The Great Flood has begun in Moscow.”
“What is about this apocalyptic flood on Cosmonauts’ Street? I am going to start building an ark, don`t try to stop me.”
“God has decided to get back to basics and recreate the Great Flood, only the ark is missing.”
“The weather simply mocks us.
First it snows, then +4.
There's a flood on the streets.”
“Great icy flood on the streets…if you manage not to sink, then you are likely to slip and fall.”
Oh yeah, and also this: