| Only housewives and residents of remote areas listen to meteorologist forecasts World Meteorologist Day took place in the capital without any weather surprises. Unlike the last working days of last week, weather forecasters could meet March 23 without fear of unflattering statements addressed to them. By the way, the coming week will also not be varied in temperature changes. So, at least, that’s what they promise at the capital’s Hydrometeorological Bureau. The frosty weather that established at the end of last week will persist in Moscow and the region for the next 3-5 days.
Despite the fact that spring is already in full swing on the calendar, the temperature stubbornly refuses to rise above minus seven degrees. And the recent snowfall completely dispelled all hopes for quick warming. However, Moscow weather forecasters continue to claim that this week the thermometer will dance around the zero mark, which will mark the beginning of warming. In meteorology, it is accepted that spring begins with a steady transition of the average daily air temperature through zero degrees. In Moscow this happens on average on March 27th. In astronomy, spring begins on the day of the vernal equinox - March 23. Phenologists begin counting spring with the arrival of the first birds. But despite the fact that the stellar and “bird” time of the awakening of the earth has already arrived, at the moment in the capital region the temperature drop and the increase in atmospheric pressure still continue. And this threatens a serious deterioration in well-being in hypertensive patients, people with unstable blood pressure, and in patients with angina pectoris and atherosclerosis. The only advantage of such weather is the purification of the atmosphere from harmful impurities. According to Mosekomonitoring, in residential areas the level of air pollution is reduced, and in the city center the content of harmful substances is “not much higher than the norm.” Employees of the Hydrometeorological Bureau also warn that in the near future there will still be heavy ice on the roads and ice on the sidewalks. Therefore, weather forecasters require increased caution and attention from drivers and pedestrians.
But, as it turned out, residents of our country, including Moscow, have little faith in the warnings of meteorologists. According to a survey conducted by ROMIR, Russians are mostly inclined to trust the thermometer outside their own kitchen window rather than the weather forecast from professionals. There were as many as 55% of those who doubted the competence of Roshydromet. Meteorologists are mostly believed by residents of rural areas or cities with a population of no more than a million people. Most often these are women from 25 to 34 years old, housewives with secondary specialized education. Pensioners and students, according to ROMIR data, can also be convinced that the weather forecasters are right with a couple of meteorological terms. Men over 35 years of age, managers of private companies or military personnel living in the south of Russia are more likely to be skeptical about weather forecasts.
Moscow motorists, apparently, are also not inclined to trust weather forecasters. Proof of this was the doubling of the number of road accidents over the past three days. Unexpected snowfall was responsible for at least three thousand minor and more than 22 major accidents, in which 25 people were injured, including children. The capital's traffic police claim that such a sharp surge in accidents is directly related to worsening weather conditions. Strong gusty winds blow away anti-icing agents from the roads, which prevent the formation of icy conditions. Not believing promises of imminent warming, the police still recommend refraining from traveling on icy roads, especially since many drivers, taking advantage of the temporary spring, have already exchanged winter tires for summer ones. Anna ShPAK |
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