Moscow's heat record was broken for the second time in a week on Thursday as temperatures soared to 37.7 degrees Celsius (99.86 degrees Fahrenheit).

This beat Monday's record of 37.5 degrees Celsius.

"At 15:00 Moscow time (11:00 GMT) the principal meteorological station at the National Exhibition Center registered 37.7 degrees Celsius," an expert from a local meteorological bureau said. "This is 0.2 degrees higher than the maximum temperature ever registered in Moscow."

July 2010 has become the hottest month on record in Moscow.

Temperatures near Domodedovo and Bykovo airports, to the southeast of the capital, reached 38 degrees Centigrade (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Temperatures across much of western Russia have topped 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) during the past five weeks, causing peat bog fires and creating what is thought to be the worst drought since 1972.

Russian environmentalists suggest that the heat wave may be a symptom of global warming.

Meteorologists suggested however that the temperature could fall by as much as 10 degrees Celsius at the weekend. Rain is also expected to clear away much of the heavy smog that has hung over the city since the start of the week.

MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti)