Do you remember this headline? Moscow Mayor Promises a Winter Without Snow? In case you missed it, the Russian mayor was going to hire the Russian Air Force to seed the clouds so they would dump their snow in regions outside of Moscow. The mayor, Yury Luzhkov, calculated that the money saved on clearing streets would pay for the atmospheric chicanery. The biggest objection came from those living on the Moscow perimeter - they did not want to be buried in snow.
So we are now in the midst of winter. How is the plan working? Heaviest Snowfall in Moscow in 20 Years summarizes his success. In the last two days of 2009, Moscow received 10 inches of snow. But there is a reason. Mayor's pledge to spare Moscow snow fails explains recent skyscraper construction has blocked the weather bureau's ability to detect the snow clouds that require seeding. But they will fix that for next year. Mmm. The article doesn't say whether the buildings will come down or whether they will construct a higher radar tower.
As I write this post, Moscow has light snow falling. Courtesy of the WeatherChannel, it is 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
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