Moscow has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm to hot summers and long, cold, winters. Typical high temperatures in the warm months of June, July and August are around 23 °C (73 °F), but during heat waves, which can occur anytime from May to September, daytime temperature highs often top 30 °C (86 °F) for sometimes one or two weeks. In the winter, temperatures normally drop to approximately −10 °C (14 °F), though there can be periods of warmth with temperatures rising above 0 °C (32 °F). Summer lasts from mid-May to the beginning of September, and winter lasts from the beginning of November to the end of March. Humidity is high year-round, although it is lowest during the spring months.

More extreme continental climates at the same latitude- such as parts of Eastern Canada or Siberia- have much colder winters than Moscow, suggesting that there is still significant moderation from the Atlantic Ocean despite the fact that Moscow is far from the sea.

The highest temperature ever recorded was 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) on July 29, 2010, and minimum temperature recorded was −42 °C (−44 °F).^[2] In 2007 three record highs for the month occurred – January +8.6 °C (47.5 °F), March +17.5 °C (63.5 °F), and May 33.2 °C (91.8 °F); in 2008, there were new record highs for December and the entire winter: +9.6 °C (49.3 °F). On July 23, 2010, the temperature reached 36.7 °C (98.1 °F)^[3] and continued to set record highs each following day until it finally reached 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) on July 29, 2010. In November 2010 a new month record high of +14.5 °C (58.1 °F) occurred (after +12.6 in 1927).

Average annual temperature in Moscow is 5.8 °C (42.4 °F), but recently (2007, 2008, 2015) it has been higher than 7 °C (45 °F).^[4] In the first half of the 20th century, there was light night frost in late summer.^[5] 2020 become the warmest in the history of meteorological observations, the average annual temperature was 8.0 °C (46.4 °F) (while the monthly averages temperatures were above 0 °C (32 °F) even in March and November).^[6]

Monthly precipitation totals are moderately high throughout the year, although precipitation levels tend to be higher during the summer than during the winter. Due to the significant variation in temperature between the winter and summer months as well as the limited fluctuation in precipitation levels during the summer, Moscow is considered to have a continental climate with no true dry season.

Most of records and averages are given for VVC weather station, located in the North-Eastern administrative okrug of Moscow. The temperature from this station averages 0.5–1 °C lower than in the city center, and 0.5–2 °C higher than night minimums in the suburbs.^[7]

Most precipitation in Moscow falls as rain, but in winter months almost all precipitation falls as snow, forming firm snow cover. The last wet snow precipitation may be in the beginning of May, and it may restart at the end of September.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Climate of Moscow.

• VVC weather station
• Climate of Russia
• 1904 Moscow tornado
• 1984 Soviet Union tornado outbreak
• 2009 Krasnozavodsk tornado