A girl runs through a watering fountain cooling herself during a warm day near the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, Russia
© AP Photo/Alexander ZemlianichenkoA girl runs through a watering fountain cooling herself during a warm day near the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Warm weather led to a temperature record in the Russian capital.
Temperatures in Moscow on Tuesday surged to levels not seen on that day for at least 140 years. The record warmth sent people flocking outdoors to enjoy the unusually warm conditions amid several days of summerlike temperatures.

On Tuesday, the high temperature in Moscow, Russia's capital and largest city, surged to 22.6 C (73 F), making it the highest temperature on April 13 in at least 140 years of observations, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, another record was set as the temperature rose to 22 C (72 F). This broke the previous record of 20.8 (69.4 F) last reached in 1962, according to Russia's Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring.

High temperatures in Moscow in the lower 20s C (lower 70s F) typically occur during the beginning of June.

The records were broken amid a stretch of warmth that took hold of a large portion of western Russia.

"Temperatures across a large portion of western and central Russia have been running above normal since about April 11," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards.

The warmth on the region peaked from April 12 to April 14, with high temperatures 6-13 degrees C (10-20 degrees F) above normal.

The warmth also extended into western and northern parts of Siberia where temperatures have been above normal for much of the month.

It has been an unusually mild April across western and northern Siberia. Amderma, a community located on Russia's northern coast with the Kara Sea, has had temperatures above normal every day this month. On April 8, temperatures reached 2.8 C (37 F). While it does not sound very warm, temperatures typically remain between -18 C (zero F) for a low and -11 C (13 F) for a high on that date.

"A large area of high pressure has been in control of the weather which has led to the string of warm weather," Richards said. "This is expected to continue through the weekend before temperatures slowly begin to trend closer to normal."

The normal high temperatures in Moscow for this time of the year is around 11 C (52 F).

While still warm, the high Thursday in Moscow of 18 C (64 F) did not break the record high of 22.5 (72.5 F) that was reached back in 2000.

"Along with the cooler temperatures next week, the likelihood of rain will also increase as high pressure shifts out of the region and a more unsettled weather pattern takes shape," said Richards.

AccuWeather