Sweltering Moscow

This may not look like the most blistering of hot days but for Muscovites it was the hottest Saturday 28th April in more than quarter of a century.

Temperatures hit a sweltering 24 Celsius, bringing residents and visitors out in their droves to parks and squares to soak up the warmth after a long, cold winter.

Many headed for Manezh Square to cool down in the fountains.

Others went for the grassy cool of Alexandrovsky Garden outside the Kremlin to make the most of the unseasonably warm conditions.

Some said they had suffered sunburn but nobody was complaining about the heat.

But weather forecasters say it's not going to last. They were anticipating a return to the cold from Sunday afternoon onwards.