Following last year's relatively tepid winter, the cold is expected to return to Moscow with a vengeance this winter, with forecasters predicting temperatures to plunge as low as negative 30 degrees Celsius.
"We expect … it will be very cold in Moscow in January and February — between negative 25 C and negative 30 C," Pyotr Biryukov, a deputy mayor whose department oversees housing and public works, was quoted as saying Thursday by the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper.
Biryukov added that while he doesn't always trust such forecasts, it's "better to be safe than sorry" and that City Hall is undertaking all the necessary preparations in anticipation of the cold.
"We have prepared all 17 of our thermal power plants, which generate heat and electricity for the city, as well as 46 district heating stations and 126 boiler stations," Biryukov said.
City Hall likewise predicts a fair amount of snow. "We expect more snow than usual, about 1.53 meters," Biryukov was quoted as saying.