'Tropical' Winter Thunderstorm Hits Moscow as City Sets Temperature Record

MOSCOW, February 1 (Sputnik) — Moscow was hit with a thunderstorm on Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m. local time, as the city set a new record with air temperatures rising to 3.1 degrees Celsius (37.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest since 1914 for this time of year.

"Thunder rumbled over Moscow this morning, this is a unique weather phenomenon that occurs very rarely," a Fobos Center meteorologist told RIA Novosti.

Social media users were awed by the event, as thunderstorms in February are unprecedented for the region.

Several winter sports events, such as a cross-country skiing marathon in suburban Khimki and a troika horse-drawn sled race at the Moscow Hippodrome are still scheduled to be held despite the snow-melting temperatures.

Moscow is considered to be one of the most affected places in the world by global warming, as temperatures have been rising two and a half times as fast as the global average, according to the Moscow Times. In 2010, massive forest fires clouded Moscow in fog and destroyed a third of Russia's wheat harvest, which is said to have had an impact in bringing about Arab Spring protests, as food prices rose globally as a result.