Heat Wave in Moscow, Russia

Jul 30th 2010, 12:20 by T.N. from the Economist.

YESTERDAY in Moscow the mercury hit 37.7 degrees Celsius, breaking the city's previous highest-temperature record—which had been set just three days earlier. A potent mix of summer heat and smog caused by forest fires outside the city has, as our correspondent reports, given the city an apocalyptic feel. This picture, courtesy of the European Space Agency, shows the vast plumes of smoke emanating from the burning forests east of Moscow.

Scores of people in the city have fallen prey to the heatwave; in Russia as a whole, over 2,000 people, most of them drunk men, are reported to have drowned in the past two months after immersing themselves in lakes and rivers to escape the heat. But respite, at least for Muscovites, may be on the way. An approaching cold front may reduce the temperature in the city to 30 degrees Celsius. For a city with an average July temperature of 23°, that will still feel sticky. But, one hopes, not as deadly.

According to Abe Song who recently came back from Moscow said that his father is having difficulty in sleeping due to heat and pollution.

Russians are known to brave the brutal cold winter but not sweltering hot summer.

Pray for our Russian missionaries and for the Summer Bible Conference which will be held from Aug 19 to Aug 22. The Title of the conference is "The vision of God." See m,ore info at UBF.org.

http://ubf.org/bbs/worldmission/3406