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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Anomalies still rule the roost: what kind of weather awaits Russians in March |
| 2025-03-04 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Zakharov [REGNUM] The first day of spring set Muscovites up for the imminent spring, becoming one of the warmest in the last century. According to meteorologists, the maximum air temperature at VDNKh reached +4.9 degrees, and in Balchug it was as much as +5.6 degrees. “This day in Moscow was among the five warmest in the current century, and among the 10 warmest in the entire history of instrumental observations, which have been conducted at the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (TAA) weather station since 1879,” notes Tatyana Pozdnyakova, chief specialist at the Meteonovosti news agency. However, in the coming days the weather may present unpleasant surprises to the capital's residents with the return of wet snow, rain and slush. In Central Russia, there is still no point in expecting heat in early March, although overall the month will be quite warm, meteorologists believe. It is quite possible that the weather conditions will surprise residents of other regions of our country. After all, given that climate change along with the growth of average annual temperatures is occurring all over the planet, the weather behavior is becoming very, very capricious. CLIMATE SWINGS The weather has been confusing forecasters lately and surprising us with abnormal temperatures. This winter, Russia has set many records: in the regions, extremely high temperatures were followed by extremely low ones. In January, a number of regions experienced abnormally warm weather, when Russians felt an almost March thaw, and the snow on the streets almost completely melted. But February brought significant cold weather. In the middle of the month, the air temperature in Moscow and the Moscow region dropped below normal by 1–1.5 degrees. And on the night of the 24th, the thermometers froze at -19.8 degrees, which was the lowest reading in the capital region. Frost records were also broken in the south of Russia. The minimum air temperature reached a record in Stavropol, where on February 26 the frost intensified to -17.9 degrees. But while the south of Russia was in the grip of cold, climate anomalies brought significant warmth to the north. In Syktyvkar on February 26 it was +4.5 degrees - a whole degree warmer than in Sochi. In Komi, where the cyclone brought a powerful portion of Atlantic warmth, snowdrifts began to melt, but heavy snowfalls and significant frosts came to the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District. “This is not the first time that the current winter has presented residents of European Russia with an amazing surprise: the air temperature in the northern regions is becoming higher than in the southern regions,” noted Mikhail Leus, a leading specialist at the Phobos weather center, at the end of February. DROUGHTS AND FIRES Along with the unusual temperatures came significant changes in humidity. According to experts, the 2024/2025 winter season in Moscow turned out to be very dry. "The last time a drier February was observed in the capital was in the record-breaking driest year in history, 1984, when only 2 mm of precipitation fell," says Mikhail Leus. According to climatologist and meteorologist Nikolai Tereshonok, this year's spring will also be dry, and not only in Moscow and the Moscow region. The deficit of soil moisture, low precipitation and global warming will make themselves felt, which will be expressed in hurricanes, fire hazards and other negative phenomena. Meanwhile, a number of Russian regions are already suffering from fire. In early March, wildfires engulfed thousands of hectares in Primorye. Residents of the region shared videos of cars literally driving through flames. They are trying their best to contain the rampant elements, but the human factor is interfering. "With the strengthening of the wind, the fire situation is becoming more complicated, so it is important right now to refrain from starting a fire anywhere," Primorsky Governor Oleg Kozhemyako reported on his Telegram channel. Federal aviation forest protection specialists note that by May the area of fires may increase and extend beyond Primorye, and Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Region and Transbaikalia will be at risk. Due to warm and dry weather, many regions of Russia may face not only forest fires, but also invasions of locusts and other pests. As climatologist Sergei Verkhovets says, southern pests may come to places where the weather has not been favorable for their life activity before. "Due to favorable dry conditions and southern winds, a wave of locusts is, accordingly, rolling into the southern regions of Siberia," Verkhovets believes. " No one is ruling out the arrival of these insects in the steppe territories, in the same Khakassia and Tuva." WHAT WILL MARCH BE LIKE? The first attempt of spring to break through to the central regions of Russia is timid: cloudy weather with light precipitation is expected in the capital region this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday the wind will increase, with gusts reaching 12 meters per second. Meteorological spring will come to the capital only after March 10. On International Women's Day in Moscow it will be cloudy, up to +3 degrees, but mostly without precipitation, says Anatoly Tsygankov, head of the crisis management department of Roshydromet. There will still be snow, and at night a slight minus is predicted, so Moscow motorists do not have to rush to change their tires yet. While Moscow will be moderately cold, Arctic air will bring abnormal frosts to the Urals and Siberia, where the temperature may fall by 8-13 degrees below normal. But in Karelia, Murmansk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Arkhangelsk regions and the Komi Republic it will be warm, where the temperature may be 10 degrees above normal. According to meteorologist Evgeny Tishkovets, spring will arrive ahead of schedule in Central Russia in March: the average monthly air temperature will be 3–5 degrees higher than the climatic norm, and on some days the air may warm up to +10 degrees. In this case, the snow cover in the capital will disappear in the second ten days of March, which is a month earlier than the established dates. "In the second half of March, even April warmth may blow," Tishkovets sums up. |
| Posted by:badanov |