“An absolute record for the first of April (Moscow)

[Mark]

An absolute record for the first of April,” says reader Argiris Diamantis.
The weather played an April Fool’s Day prank on Moscow residents Monday, bringing fresh snow to the Russian capital instead of long-awaited sunshine.

The new snowfall brought the depth of accumulated snow to 65 centimetres (26 inches), setting an all-time record for April.

The previous record of 61 centimetres was set in April 1994, meteorologist Mikhail Leus told AFP.

The snow measured 69 centimetres on Sunday, the last day of March, he said.

The snowfall came as a major test of patience for Muscovites, who have endured an unusually long and cold winter.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_04_01/Moscow-struggles-with-record-snowfall/

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[Mark]

Note the last paragraph: “A large part of the harvest has fallen victim to the frost.”

After days of snowfall in Moscow, experts announced new records, said this article on Mar 26. About 80 inches of snow – more than twice as much as usual – had fallen in the metropolis since early March. In Russia, the death toll is now at least 311.

In the Ukrainian capital Kiev, thousands of workers and soldiers fought with the worst snowfalls in more than 100 years.

Thousands of schools and kindergartens were closed in Romania due to heavy snowfall. Drifts disabled in the Czech market. In Britain, the situation was tense. In some parts of Scotland, it was the fifth consecutive day of no electricity.


http://www.mt-online.de/start/top_news_rotation_item/8181448_Russland_Mehs_als_300_Kaeltetote.html