Moscow ? Arctic temperatures gripping most of Russia pushed the reported death toll close to 40 on Friday as weather forecasters warned that no major thaw is expected in Moscow before February.

Five people died overnight in the capital, city ambulance service chief Igor Elkis said. The toll in Moscow, locked in a deep freeze since late Monday, is now at least 16 while the nationwide toll is at least 38.

The true figure, however, is likely higher because many regions have not reported cold deaths.

The arctic temperatures have severely taxed parts of the nation’s infrastructure, with electricity use surging to record levels as towns and cities struggle to keep indoor temperatures up and Russians turning to supplemental heating sources including electric radiators to keep warm.

The cold wave was even affecting Russia’s southern regions which typically see more temperate winter conditions. In the town of Apsheronsk, about 750 miles south of Moscow, three people were killed when a gas canister exploded after it was improperly hooked to the heating system in a private home. And in the Caucasus region of Adeigei, a wood stove fire killed two people who were trying to heat their home.

Overnight temperatures in the region near the Black Sea dropped to 17 degrees below zero.

On Friday, Moscow temperatures were slightly warmer than Thursday, when the mercury hit 24 below, the coldest on that date since 1927. Friday’s low was minus 20 degrees. By Monday, the thermometer was expected to reach four below, Moscow weather service spokeswoman Natalya Yershova said.