E. Europe's Heat Wave: Russians Wear Shorts!

I consider myself fortunate to be staying in Moscow while it is enjoying its record-setting high temperatures :) It is the worst the region has experienced since Nixon Visited China, making the Soviet Union hot under the collar. It has certainly tested my limits as to what I can endure. It wouldn't be bad if my room and the classrooms were well ventilated. The picture to the right is looking toward downtown Moscow Friday morning around 9 a.m. The haze is caused by burning peat bogs outside of the city.

I'll quote from today's Moscow Times: "A heat wave in the western part of Russia, the worst since 1972, will last another 10 days, the country’s chief forecaster said July 20. Temperatures have broken July records in dozens of cities in the region, including Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara, while Moscow may break its all-time record of 36.8 (almost 100 F) degrees Celsius this weekend."


Just how hot is it? It is so hot, a colleague who lives in Miami is uncomfortable. Seriously. 


The reason why the temperatures are unbearable is because Moscow doesn't have high enough temperatures long enough normally to build buildings more efficiently for air flow or install air conditioners. Most buildings have very poor cross-draft capabilities. Some buildings are "air-conditioned," but when you step in side, it isn't the Western version of A/C. It feels stale and flat because it is kept very low.


A cultural note: European men do not wear short pants. That is what I was told and that is what I witnessed upon my arrival in June. However, the heat has caused European men to don shorts and flip flops. It was interesting to watch the transformation as the temperatures soared beginning early last week. Perhaps a new trend will take hold and the men will no longer be so stoic. The women escape the heat by avoiding hose and wearing sun dresses. (Fortunately for me I didn't listen to the advice and brought two pair of shorts. I haven't worn long pants now for about two weeks.)


Sadly the heat has caused over 150 people to swim in water seeking relief and then drown. Most have drowned because they were drunk and overly heated. Last week two small children drowned in a city fountain. 


The heat is also causing numerous fires. This one occurred about 1/2 mile from outside of my apartment. 

There is nothing better than waking up on a weekday morning to the smell of burning towers. It inspired me as I sweltered in my apartment finishing up a research paper on Stalin's use of propaganda in Moscow's Metro system.


I'm traveling to St. Petersburg today. It is expected to be about 15 degrees cooler because of its location on the Baltic Sea. Yeah!