Forecast for Warming Trend in European Russia's Hydrometeorological Sector
Unusual Warmth in Eastern Siberia and Cold Snap in European Russia
A severe snowstorm is expected to hit Moscow at the end of the working week, but the region is not experiencing the same abnormal warmth that Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East have been experiencing.
Eastern Siberia and the Far East are currently undergoing an unusual heatwave, with temperatures 15-18°C above normal. This extreme heat has been linked to a large-scale regional heatwave affecting East Asia, causing tropical-style warmth in typically cold, high-latitude regions. The cause is linked to persistent atmospheric circulation patterns that trap heat in the region, sustaining high temperatures over an extended period.
In contrast, Moscow is expecting more than half of its monthly normal precipitation, and nighttime temperatures will drop to -30°C. Daytime temperatures in European Russia will range from -13 to -18°C. Snow is forecasted to begin on the night of February 12 and continue until Sunday in Moscow.
The absence of an anticyclone in Eastern Siberia and the Far East is the reason for the unusual warmth in February. Warm air masses from the Sea of Okhotsk are expected to soften the typical mid-winter cold in these regions, but the weather in European Russia remains colder compared to the warm air masses in the Sea of Okhotsk.
In other regions, temperatures are expected to deviate from the climatic norm by 8-12°C. Warm weather is also forecasted for Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk Krais, Tuva, Khakassia, Buryatia, and Chukotka. However, nighttime temperatures in European Russia will drop to -25°C.
The record-setting temperature pattern in Eastern Siberia and the Far East contrasts starkly with the normally frigid winter climate. The prolonged heatwave in East Asia is causing widespread extreme heat stress and has shattered hundreds of temperature records in Japan and the Korean Peninsula.
References: [1] Climate Central [5] The Guardian
The scientific community is monitoring the unusually warm weather in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, which is 15-18°C above normal, as it contrasts starkly with the typical environmental-science conditions of these high-latitude regions. Meanwhile, weather forecasts predict chilly temperatures in Moscow, with nighttime temperatures dropping to -30°C, in stark contrast to the warmth in the Sea of Okhotsk region.
