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2025-07-22 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
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Half a Bucket per Meter, Simulators and Aquaplaning: How Moscow Survived the Flood
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Elena Kuleshova and Yuri Zainashev
[REGNUM] On the night of July 21, Moscow was hit by a record rainfall — the most powerful in the history of observations since the mid-19th century. Streets in some areas of the capital turned into rivers, and two bridges collapsed in the Moscow region. The authorities called on city residents to stay home if possible. Presumably, Muscovites called ambulances to their homes more often, and traffic police patrols were more often called out to accidents. On such days, weather forecasters do not want to remember their own predictions about “hellish heat.”
Muscovites were asked to stay home if possible, and to be extremely careful when outside, not to take shelter under trees, and not to park cars under them.
THE TRANSPORT WAS SINKING
Muscovites and residents of the near Moscow region posted numerous photos and videos online, showing flooding on the streets, with cars one-third submerged in water. For example, such a picture was taken in the city of Odintsovo.
Traffic was temporarily closed in some parts of the capital: on Volokolamsk Highway, on Admiral Kornilov Street, on Shelepikhinskaya Embankment and on Proektiruemy Proezd (Nagatinskaya Embankment).
City residents were advised not to use cars until the evening, when the intensity of precipitation is expected to decrease. Instead, it is suggested to use public transport, since it was generally operating normally. However, as an employee of the Regnum news agency was convinced, tram service in the area of the Danilov Monastery was also interrupted.
A total of over 130 flights were cancelled or delayed at the capital's airports.
THE REGION NEAR MOSCOW WAS FLOODED
A similar flood was observed in the Moscow region. More than 80% of the monthly norm fell in one day, said leading specialist of the Phobos center Evgeny Tishkovets. According to him, the heaviest downpours occurred in Kolomna, Nemchinovka and New Jerusalem, as well as at the Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports. In the capital, 50 liters of water fell per square meter in one day, and the heaviest rains occurred in the northwest of the city - in the Mitino and Zelenograd districts, the forecaster added.
"A concrete bridge washed out and fell due to rain in the Naro-Fominsky district at night. Part of the village of Aleksino, SNT "Vereiskoye" and "Isma" were cut off from communication," said a representative of the emergency services. According to the source, they began to dismantle the old bridge and build a new crossing, to fill it. Moreover, the work was planned to be completed by midday. Rescue workers are now ferrying local residents by boat.
By mid-day, a second overpass in the Moscow region had also fallen — a road bridge in the SNT Yubileiny-110 in the Istrinsky District. "The bridge over the Pesochnaya River collapsed. Several houses were cut off from traffic," the agency's source said.
FREQUENT ROAD ACCIDENTS
Experienced traffic police officers say that accidents happen more often during floods. "On the one hand, there are traffic jams everywhere, the average speed drops. It would seem that there should be fewer accidents, but there usually aren't fewer of them, " a former traffic police officer tells IA Regnum. "The thing is that the psychological state starts to play a role. Drivers can get nervous, lose patience and step on the gas."
In addition, a factor such as aquaplaning affects accidents. "If a car gets into high water, and especially if it is in a rut, it floats a little on its tires and therefore loses control. Another point is that some drivers even in such weather indulge in speed, drive fast and end up covering oncoming or neighboring cars in traffic with a wave, flooding the windshield. And for some time the driver completely loses visibility," the former traffic cop notes.
According to some insurance company studies, the frequency of accidents in rainy weather increases by an average of 30%. Insurers cite five main reasons: slippery roads (75%), failure to keep a safe distance (64%), poor visibility (54%), distractions (47%) and drowsy drivers (40%).
LOTS OF AMBULANCES
"There are more calls in rainy weather, " Andrey Zvonkov, an ambulance doctor, tells IA Regnum. "Atmospheric pressure drops, and people's blood pressure drops as a result." Hypertensive patients - people with atherosclerotic vessels - react to this more acutely than those with elastic vessels and no autonomic disorders, the doctor explains.
"Imagine a situation where you take a balloon filled with air and place it in a room where the air is being pumped out. What happens? The balloon inflates until it bursts. A person's kidney problems may suddenly worsen - a blood vessel inside will burst. That's why people call the ambulance more often in hot weather or before a thunderstorm," says Zvonkov.
However, during rainy seasons, unfounded calls are more common, which also "spoil" the statistics. "Give me a full check-up, I don't feel well," but the real reason is that I just don't want to go to the clinic in such weather," Zvonkov complains.
"We were recently called to the 11th floor, the elevator broke down, and the ambulance was walking up, with tongues on their shoulders (all equipment was taken with them, according to orders). And the patient was waiting for us with a phone in her hands - she was recording on camera how the team was "slowly" arriving at the call. The woman was given a referral, but on the same day she called again, saying that she "lost the paper", - the doctor is indignant.
WHERE IS THE "HELLISH HEAT"?
The previous heavy rainfall hit Moscow and some areas of the Moscow region on July 15. Then, in a few hours, a month's worth of precipitation fell, and some areas were flooded.
In mid-spring, the Hydrometeorological Center did not rule out that July and August would become record-breaking hot and the thermometer would often exceed +35 degrees.
It is risky to make such long-term forecasts; seasonal forecasts are not distinguished by their “falsifability” at all, Alexander Shuvalov, a weather forecaster and climatologist, told IA Regnum.
He believes that "the location and intensity of rain can be predicted only 24 hours in advance, storm warnings - several hours in advance. More general forecasts are in the range of 3-5 days. Personally, I very rarely undertake to predict the weather for a month. A week is possible, no more."
However, according to the climatologist, predictions for 10 years ahead can be made more confidently.
"If Muscovites are now walking ankle-deep in water, then in ten years, perhaps, they will be wading knee-deep after such downpours. Over time, both the frequency and intensity of downpours will increase. A flood does not depend on the amount of precipitation, but on precipitation per unit of time. There are very short "take-offs" of half a bucket per square meter in just 10 minutes. And such "take-offs" form a wave, which then forces us to walk ankle-deep," the scientist explained.
"The downpour passed through the central region of Russia: yesterday it affected Lipetsk, Kaluga, Maloyaroslavets. Today - Moscow. But this zone of precipitation has finished its reign over Moscow, " the weather forecaster predicts. "Gradually, its most active part is moving to the northwest. But there is still rain in Ryazan, the train of which is moving towards the capital."
According to his forecast, the rains will continue until Thursday, and on Friday the weather will improve, warming up to 25-27 degrees.
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Posted by badanov 2025-07-22 00:00||
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