Russia's Kuchevskaya station holds the title of the country's warmest location
Record-Breaking Heatwave in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, Passes, but Verkhoyansk Remains a Hotspot
After a scorching heatwave, parts of Krasnodar Krai in Russia have finally experienced a respite. However, other regions like Verkhoyansk continue to hold the title for extreme summer heat.
The peak of the heatwave in Kuban, a region within Krasnodar Krai, has passed. The settlement of Kushchevskaya saw the highest temperature during this period, with the mercury soaring to an astonishing 40.5°C. Tikhoretsk, another city in Krasnodar Krai, held the title for the highest average daily air temperature at 32.1°C.
In the ranking of the top ten hottest places in Russia on July 30, six settlements in Kuban, Krasnodar Krai, made it to the list. Besides Kushchevskaya and Tikhoretsk, Armavir, Kropotkin, Sosyka, and another unspecified settlement also recorded temperatures exceeding the 39°C mark.
Despite the high temperatures, no explicit temperature records were set in Krasnodar Krai on July 30. A cold front from the west is expected to bring rain to the region, which will bring some relief from the abnormal heatwave. The mercury will drop a bit, offering a brief respite before the weather warms up again.
Meanwhile, Verkhoyansk, a town in the Sakha Republic, continues to be one of the hottest places in Russia, particularly during July months. Although the exact temperature for July 30, 2021, was not found in the sources, Verkhoyansk is known for its consistently high temperatures, with historical extremes around 38°C north of the Arctic Circle.
Moscow, the capital city, also experiences heatwaves with highs surpassing 33°C, but the most recent heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 35°C occurred in July 2025. The previous record before that was about 33.4°C set in 1996. This suggests that Moscow’s heat on July 30, 2021, would have been warm but likely lower than these extremes.
In stark contrast, some parts of Russia, especially in the northeast like Chukotka (Markovo), experienced cool temperatures in July 2021 and in subsequent years, even close to freezing at times. This regional variation within the country highlights the unpredictable nature of Russia’s weather patterns.
In a separate event, the apocalyptic heat in Mountainous Sochi set a 25-year record for heat, but this event is not related to the heatwave in Krasnodar Krai discussed in this article.
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The heatwave that affected parts of Krasnodar Krai has subsided, revealing cooler temperatures in areas such as Kushchevskaya and Tikhoretsk. However, in Verkhoyansk, this extreme weather persists, continuing its status as one of the hottest spots in Russia, especially during July months, due to its ties with environmental science and climate-change.
