Moscow in 2050: climate change in numbers
Moscow has warmed 2.5 °C, comparing the last ten years (2016–2025) with 1951–1980 — faster than the world as a whole (+1.1 °C). By 2050, its climate is projected to feel like Kharkiv, Ukraine today.
2050 = 2040–2059 average, intermediate emissions (SSP2-4.5), median of CMIP6 climate models. “Today” = 1991–2020. Model range for average temperature: 7.0–8.9 °C.
Moscow: average annual temperature, 1950–2025 (°C)
1950 → 2025. Moscow's warming stripes: each stripe is one year's average temperature.
What Moscow's climate will feel like
Matching temperature, heat extremes, frost days and rainfall against the current climate of more than 1,000 large cities, Moscow's 2050 climate is closest to Kharkiv, Ukraine — about 600 km away.
| Moscow today | Moscow 2050 | Kharkiv today | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature | 5.8 °C | 7.6 °C | 8.5 °C |
| Average daily high | 9.4 °C | 11.2 °C | 12.4 °C |
| Hottest day | 31 °C | 35 °C | 35 °C |
| Frost days | 154 | 132 | 125 |
| Rainfall | 680 mm | 716 mm | 607 mm |
A year in Moscow, day by day
Each square is one day of the year; the coloured squares are the days that cross the threshold in an average year.
Days above 30 °C (86 °F) in Moscow
Tropical nights in Moscow (never cooler than 20 °C)
Frost days in Moscow (below 0 °C)
What changes by 2050
- The average temperature rises a further 1.8 °C compared with 1991–2020 (model range 1.2–3.1 °C).
- Days above 30 °C (86 °F) rise from about 5 a year (1991–2020) to about 13 by 2040–2059.
- Frost days fall from about 154 to 132 a year: shorter, milder winters.
- Annual rainfall is projected to increase by about 6%, though precipitation projections are less certain than temperature.
Dangerous heat in Moscow
Even by 2090 under very high emissions, Moscow is not projected to have days with a heat index of 39 °C or more in a typical year. See where dangerous heat spreads worldwide.
Under high emissions
If emissions keep rising (SSP5-8.5), Moscow would average 8.3 °C by 2040–2059, with a hottest day around 35 °C and 17 days above 30 °C (86 °F) a year. By mid-century the scenarios are still close; the choices made now mostly decide what happens after 2050 — see the world in 2050.
More places
Compare Moscow with…Climate change in RussiaSaint PetersburgHelsinkiWarsawStockholm
Frequently asked questions
How hot will Moscow be in 2050?
Under an intermediate emissions scenario (SSP2-4.5), Moscow's average annual temperature in 2040–2059 is projected at about 7.6 °C (range 7.0–8.9 °C across climate models), compared with 5.8 °C in 1991–2020. The hottest day of a typical year reaches about 35 °C (94 °F).
Is Moscow getting hotter?
Yes. The last ten years (2016–2025) averaged 2.5 °C warmer than 1951–1980 in Moscow, faster than the global average of 1.1 °C over the same period (Copernicus ERA5).
Which city will Moscow feel like in 2050?
By 2040–2059, Moscow's climate is projected to resemble the climate of Kharkiv, Ukraine today, based on temperature, heat extremes, frost and rainfall.
What would happen under high emissions?
Under a very high emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5), Moscow's average temperature in 2040–2059 is projected at 8.3 °C and the hottest day at about 35 °C. The differences between scenarios grow much larger after 2050.
Sources: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (CMIP6 0.25°, ERA5 0.25°); Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis (C3S/ECMWF); NASA NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 (Thrasher et al. 2022); GeoNames
Method: Delta method: ERA5 1995–2014 + CMIP6 ensemble change 2040–2059 vs 1995–2014. Values are for the ~25 km grid cell containing the city and can differ from a single weather station, especially for coastal and mountain cities. Methodology · Download CSV
Licence: Derived from ERA5 (CC BY 4.0, Copernicus/ECMWF), CMIP6 via World Bank CCKP (CC BY-SA 4.0) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). City data on this site: CC BY-SA 4.0. · Generated 17 October 2026