The arrival of unusually rainy weather in Moscow with weekly precipitation exceeding monthly averages may cause a slight rise in the number of cold cases, but will improve the quality of air in the capital, Russia's chief sanitary official Gennady Onishchenko said Wednesday.
"Of course, there will be a rise in the number of cold illnesses, but those will not be signs of an epidemic," the head of the Federal Consumer Protection Service said, Interfax reported.
He added that moist weather would improve the quality of air and bring relief to people who suffer from allergies.
"Rain purifies Moscow air from chemical and biological contaminations; it performs the usual cleaning functions," Onishchenko said.
The State Weather Service said rain will continue in Moscow on Wednesday, with air temperatures reaching 21 degrees Celsius throughout the day.
Humidity will remain high at 97 percent.
Continuous rain in the capital has brought 61 millimeters of precipitation since last Wednesday, or 120 percent of the monthly average, a weather service official told Interfax.
In May, the Moscow region saw 89 millimeters of rain, or 175 percent of the average norm for the month.
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