A clean-up operation is under way in Moscow after the city and the surrounding region were lashed by overnight thunderstorms and torrential rain.
Roads were flooded and wind speeds of 25 meters per second brought down 300 trees in residential areas, killing one person and injuring dozens, the TASS news agency reported.
Thunderstorms lit up the night sky and more than 30 lightning strikes were registered in one minute in some areas of Moscow, the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper reported.
Falling trees damaged dozens of cars and caused the closure of an above ground section of Moscow’s metro system with service suspended between the Bagrationovskaya and Filyovsky Park stations on the Light Blue Line for half an hour after trees fell on cables.
The storm caused three flights to be redirected from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport to Domodedovo and five flights were delayed at Sheremetyevo but otherwise Moscow’s airports are operating as usual.
Hot and dry weather is expected in Moscow in the coming days.
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