Tropical downpours continue to batter Moscow, leading to road closures, inundated streets, and courtyards transforming into impassable pools.
On the evening of July 22, a powerful deluge hit Western Moscow, causing widespread chaos: cars floated on roads, trees fell, and roofs buckled under the sheer volume of water. Approximately one-third of the monthly precipitation fell within a single day.
For safety reasons, train services on the Filyovskaya metro line were suspended between “Kuntsevskaya” and “Bagrationovskaya” stations. At “Bagrationovskaya,” the station vestibule turned into a waterfall, with a powerful stream cascading down the stairs, as shown in shared videos.
Videos also emerged on social media showing the “Kuntsevo Plaza” shopping center submerged, with eyewitnesses reporting water pouring from the roof down to the lowest floors. Near the Kutuzovsky Prospekt exit, the lawn was washed directly onto the road. Traffic on Rublevskoye Highway near building 22, heading out of the city, was completely shut down due to the severe weather. Skolkovskoye Highway also experienced disruptions.
A driver on Rublevskoye Highway shared their experience with the Business FM Telegram channel:
“I was out on errands. Before the intersection of Krylatskaya Street and Yartsevskaya Street, Rublevskoye Highway came to a standstill. It was unclear what had happened because the road ahead was clear, and people started thinking it was flooded again. I got out of my car because the traffic jam was stationary, not moving anywhere, and went to check — indeed, it turned out to be flooded, and some brave drivers tried to get through and drowned up to their roofs. Now, it seems, pumps have arrived, we`ve been standing for about an hour, no movement. Naturally, no one dares to drive further into that depth. This is what happened after the rain on one of Moscow`s main roads.”
After water was pumped out, traffic on Rublevskoye Highway was restored.
Flooding also occurred at the intersection of Yartsevskaya and Yelinskaya streets near “Molodezhnaya” metro station, and near “Kuntsevskaya” metro station. Minskaya Street was closed. Numerous videos in Telegram channels depict people attempting to cross the street, finding themselves nearly waist-deep in water.
Margarita Bondarenko, Business FM`s chief editor, found herself in a similar predicament:
“The rain caught me on a bus. I was traveling from work, from Presnya, near the zoo, west along Bolshaya Filyovskaya Street. When I got on the bus, it was cloudy, there was no wind, nothing seemed to foreshadow it, and I specifically checked Yandex Weather: no rain was indicated. I thought, `Okay,` because I needed to walk my dog in the evening, and there wouldn`t be rain. I get on the bus, and it starts to drizzle. And already on the bus, a crazy rain began — a downpour, a waterfall. But I hoped that since I had a raincoat and an umbrella with me, I would still arrive home half-dry. I get off the bus in the Bolshaya Filyovskaya area — and these weren`t puddles when you cross the road, it was a swirling river. First, I waded across the river; that`s the only way I can describe it. Then, when I walked through the underpass beneath the metro (it`s clearly a depression there, water was simply cascading down), I`m not exaggerating, I was walking in water up to my hips. I just gave up, realizing I needed to get through this underpass somehow and just get home. But by the time I arrived home, the rain had stopped.”
In the city center today, new “streams” and “rivers” also appeared around “Tretyakovskaya” metro station, Bolshaya Ordynka, and Red Square. According to meteorological services, on Wednesday, July 23, there will be no precipitation overnight, but rain will resume during the day, with temperatures rising to plus 27 degrees Celsius.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth