Abnormally low temperatures in the Northwestern, Central and Volga federal districts will have little effect on winter crops because plants are covered by snow, Anna Strashnaya, head of agro-meteorological forecasting at the Federal Hydrometeorological Center, said Thursday.
"The snow layer, which warms soil up, exceeds the norm by two to three times," Strashnaya said.
Temperatures will be at least 7 degrees Celsius below norms in those districts through Feb. 12. Forecasters are predicting temperatures in the Moscow region as low as minus 23 C.
(Bloomberg)