Moscow lightning
© Sputnik/ Denis Murin
July has brought a great deal of heavy thunderstorms to Moscow. On Friday, meteorologists again declared a storm warning: weather forecasters promised rain, strong wind and hail.

If we take a look at the long-term forecast, thunderstorms will batter the Russian capital for the next week.

"Thunderstorms are not an unusual occurrence in July, being both the hottest and the most humid month of the year," senior Gismeteo meteorologist Leonid Starkov told RIA Novosti.

Thus, according to Starkov, rains and thunderstorms are a common occurrence in July for Moscow, only this year they are a little more intense due to particular atmospheric conditions.

"The rains will gradually pass, now it is probably the last day with a high probability of thunderstorms, hail and squally wind, the meteorologist said, adding, however, that it is impossible to completely exclude short rain showers, which usually occur in the summer.

Valentin Hagdaev, the main shaman of the island of Olkhon, offered another explanation for the rapidly changing weather conditions.

"There is too much negative energy in your region. In this way, the gods of thunder and lightning establish the balance between positive and negative energies," the shaman said.

According to Hagdaev, the balance in nature has been destroyed after many years of deforestation and artificial human activities. In this way, nature gives response to human beings, he explained.

"We have an annual ritual of calling thunder gods: at the end of May we shamans go to the mountains and ask heaven to bestow us with grace rain so that we would have a good crop and livestock, so that our children and elder people would be healthy, and so that there would be well-being and harmony on earth," he said.

Frequent heavy rains and thunderstorms such as this year haven't occurred in the summer months in Moscow since 1998, the official website of Moscow's municipality wrote. Last night, Moscow again was battered by strong rains.