How bad is winter in Moscow?

Have you looked at any weather sites on line? I am going to guess it is rather cold!

Lesson learned in 1941 was to be properly dressed for the Russian winter:
https://www.quora.com/Why-didnt-the-Russian-Winter-impact-the-Soviet-Union-the-same-way-it-affected-Nazi-Germany

The mean daily temperature in Moscow in November is -1.2 °C and -7.6
°C in December.[1] From November to March, the mean daily temperature
in Moscow does not climb above freezing - and that's just for an
average winter. The winter of 1941-1942 was actually the coldest of
the twentieth century.

If you want to have your soldiers in anything approximating fighting
condition in that climate, you need to get them warm boots, warm
gloves, warm hats and warm jackets.

[1] To those not entirely fond of Celsius, that's 26.1 °F and 18.3 °F
respectively.

And here is what the Norwegians think: https://www.yr.no/place/Russia/Moscow/Moscow/statistics.html
Note that the Norwegian climate data shows 12 days of more than 1 mm of precipitation during December. (Note that 1 mm of water equivalent precipitation is about 1 cm of snow).

And the French viewpoint: https://www.airfrance.us/travel-guide/moscow/practical-information

CLIMATE AND WEATHER IN MOSCOW

Moscow has a humid continental climate and experiences a wide range of
temperatures. Winters are very cold, while summers are hot and humid.
Temperatures may rise above 30°C (86°F) in the summer, whereas in
winter, the mercury often drops below −20°C (−4°F), with a record low
of −42.2°C (−44°F)! Moscow is ensconced under a blanket of snow for a
good third of the year. And in the thick of winter, this snow cover
can remain as deep as 75 cm (30 in.) for weeks on end.

And there are outlier to "mean" weather conditions:

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-russia-snowstorm-20180205-story.html

The city government and meteorologist insisted that the weekend storm
wasn't just a regular snowstorm. More than 22 inches fell in the
center of Moscow by Monday morning. That's the equivalent of roughly a
month's worth of snowfall in 36 hours, making it the biggest snowfall
in Moscow since meteorological records began, Russian media reported.

Don't do it.

Bring your sable hat with ear covers

If you go to Wunderground, you can get historical data for each year, which is better than someone else's impressions. For instance, here's February 12, 2017; play around with the dates to see temps on other days and years: https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/UUWW/2017/2/12/DailyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=

I was going to say the same thing Edgar did. Russian winters bested both Napoleon and Hitler; don't treat it lightly.

That said, "how bad" you find it will likely depend heavily on what kind of winter you're already used to. If you're from Winnipeg, probably you can handle it; if you're from Houston, it's probably going to be stressful at best and dangerous at worst.

As bad as Moscow snow can be, the Russian snow removal is impressive: http://www.businessinsider.com/snow-plow-moscow-russia-video-2016-1

I wouldn't.

I went in November and the cold then was bad enough, I don't think I could even contemplate leaving the warmth of the hotel to go sightseeing in Winter.

That Russian winter was no obstacle to the Mongols.

Wasn't the Russian winter the reason Napoleon had to turn back on the verge of conquering Moscow?

Napoleon did conquer Moscow, but instead of a surrender delegation, he found a burned out city with no supplies. Russians just didn't play by his rules. Check out the graphical depiction by Minard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Joseph_Minard#/media/File:Minard_Update.png

When did winter become "bad"? Just dress for it!

This looks fascinating:

• The Winter Festival

• Maslenitsa

• Ice skating in Gorky Park

• Tretyakov Gallery, the State Armory Museum, or the Pushkin Museum of
  Fine Arts

I’d be bringing my wife with me and her brother would be our guide.
He’s been there before during a russian matchmaking tour

A Ukrainian "tour" of human trafficking?

Today’s fun fact: Minneapolis is closer to the equator than the North Pole.

But only if you live in Minneapolis south of N 21st Ave, the approximate location of the line.

Minneapolis may or may not be colder than Moscow but Minneapolis has it covered:
https://www.minneapolis.org/map-transportation/minneapolis-skyway-guide/

The Minneapolis Skyway System is the largest, contiguous system of
enclosed, second level bridges in the world, composed of 9.5 miles of
pathways connecting 80 city blocks.

That said,I was n Minneapolis the week preceding the football week. That Monday a foot plus of snow fell between 9AM and midnight shutting down all four MSP runways cancelling a lot of Monday flights. While one can dress for the weather, we rely on machines that can only do so much in cold and snow. I try to build in contingency days during winter travel. Plan on arriving early and not having critical thing to do right after returning home.

Having 'survived' 60 winters in Minneapolis, it would not be impossible for me to tolerate, or even enjoy, a winter visit to Moscow. However Tom is correct in that it depends a lot on your attitude and willingness to adapt to conditions. If you're willing to prepare, both mentally and physically (meaning warm clothes), it could be a fun adventure. Just know that it will most likely be quite cold and you will need to bring your long johns, mittens, and woolly hat and be prepared (and willing) to change your daily plans if heavy snow and/or below zero temps but a damper on them.

With all that being said, it wouldn't be my first choice of season for a visit to Moscow. And if you're adding St Petersburg, well it can be even colder there.

In addition to dressing in layers starting with good (synthetic or wool) base layers and ending with outer windproofs and covering extremities (head, hands and footwear), having boot "crampons" like Yaktraxs, IceTrekkers or similar is a good idea. If the walking pavements are not adequately cleared and rocked, black ice falls can be a hard way to collect on your travel insurance. Worst winter pavement walking condition is a light layer of new snow on black ice.

Napoleon left Moscow on Oct 19; the effects of the winter started to be felt and worsened after the first few days in November. The first snows fell then. It was in November that winter did its worse on Napoleon's troops. The Russians pursuing him were not much better off.

All you weather wusses are amazing! There is no bad weather, only bad clothing. I live in SD. This has been a cold winter, but people get out, do stuff. It's very nice between 10 F and 25 F - these -10C to -3 C.

Cold weather is a state of mind. I don't wear an overcoat here unless it is below 10F. Between 10F and 32F, it can be quite pleasant, especially with that bright winter sun, and no wind. In SD, there are 2 days per year with no wind - April 1 and July 4. So that is a slight problem. But I look out my window, and see the snow, on the pines, with the blue sky, and an occasional duck falling frozen from the sky, and think "I need to dodge better".

There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.

While the Nordic "bad clothing" saying is generally correct, extreme cold can be a health hazard. You should also take measures to protect your lungs from extreme cold.

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE SKI (FIS) THE INTERNATIONAL SKI COMPETITION RULES (ICR)
BOOK II CROSS-COUNTRY
FIS Rule 387 addresses "Cold Weather Precautions":

387.1.1 There are three main factors to be considered by the Jury regarding cold weather safety: the temperature; the duration of the
exposure; and, the clothing and other protection against cold weather.
These factors together with any other relevant information such as the
"wind chill factor" must be taken into consideration when a decision
is made regarding cold weather.

387.3.1 If the temperature in a major portion of the course is minus 25 °C or below, the competition shall be delayed or cancelled.

When air temperatures are below -25C, Breathing with heavy exertion even with a buff can be bad for the lungs. Heat exchanger masks are available, but they restrict the amount of air an athlete can take in. Heat exchanger masks could be useful for just walking around in a Moscow low temperature environment:
http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/print/13562-the-power-of-heat-exchangers-in-cold-temperatures

It’s no secret that Old Man Winter can wreak havoc on breathing and
lung functionality. Even for people who don’t have asthma, cold air
can hamper lung function and make winter work difficult and
uncomfortable. When combined with long hours in cold outdoor or indoor
work environments, frigid weather can alter the immune system. This
puts workers at risk for respiratory viral infections that can lead to
more sick days and less productivity.

An example of a sports oriented heat exchanger mask is the Airtrim: http://www.airtrim.se/eng/

Protects your airways from cold and dry air

Use Airtrim breathing mask when it is cold outside. The air you
breathe in through the filter become warmer and humid by your exhaled
air. Your airways are therefore protected against dry and cold air.
With Airtrim you are able, without extra effort, to walk, work out and
stay outside longer in the winter.

Don’t forget to dress warmly though. It is easy to forget that it is
cold when the air you breathe is warm.

Cannot image why someone would choose winter as the time to vacation in Moscow ( Russia or Idaho). Several million Muscovites endure winter, but I suspect (very) few enjoy and most would leave if they could.

With hi temps not even as warm as freezing, it looks very unappealing. At a ski resort that kind of weather may be helpful, but for visiting an urban center I cannot see any positive aspect, other than there will be no tourist crowds.

To me, going to Moscow in winter makes as much sense as having a Scottsdale to Phoenix Independence Day marathon race.

If you have a good reason to want go in winter, just be prepared for bitterly cold weather and take the appropriate precautions.

Paul, we weather wusses are glad you enjoy your cold winters. Please keep them and do not share them with us!

"...only bad clothing." There is some validity to that. When the Russians invaded Finland in the winter, it was the Russians who suffered and froze. It is relative in a way. Moscow is not the worst or most severe place in the winter....try Manchuria.

When I was a kid I had a Russian (actually Bellarus) babushka friend of the family who made us Russian food and was always kind and joyful.

When I went to Russia, I wondered where all the nice people went? Everyone is so grumpy. I can't imagine they'd be better tempered during the winter. At least they won't be sick of the tourists.

On my only winter trip to northern Europe (Christmas markets), the problem I encountered is undressing . . . if you wear lots of layers to stay warm outside, when you go inside, at a sight or a restaurant, you have to shed many of those layers, then put them back on again to leave. If you have several under-layers (thermals, etc) it's a problem.

I would do Moscow at a warmer time. We were there in April and it snowed. Moscow is a beautiful city with many great walks, plus the visa is quite pricey,. So I would try to visit closer to May, or late summer, if possible.