The key weather and climate features in the northern hemisphere in January 2017

Air temperature

One can say about Russia’s first month of the year, that “it goes hot and cold”. Actually, except Arctic islands and south areas of Far East, it is no one large region when average decade temperature anomalies would keep a sign. In Russian North, Urals and Upper Volga the frosts in the first month decade reached -40…-50° and more, anomalies of this period were -6…-13°. But in the second decade the warmth came here and although the anomalies were the same by value, but they had the opposite sign. In the south of Russia the abnormal warmth of the first decade, with the new temperature maximums in Crimea and Krasnodar region, changed by the frosts to -20…-25° in Krasnodar region and -10° in Sochi area. The new temperature minimums were registered at that time and seldom for these places phenomena  - brash ice and fast shore ice in Kerch strait and at the Crimea and Caucasus shore.

The key weather and climate features in the northern hemisphere in December 2016

Air temperature

The November colds in Russia became more severe in the last month of the year. The frosts attacked the European territory of Russia (ETR), the Urals, central and northern parts of Siberia and Yakutia all first part of December. In the ETR north, in Volga area, Urals, West Siberia the new daily lows repeatedly took place. In Yakutia the temperature dropped down to -56°, in the Ural north – below -40°, in Volga area - -35°. Even in the south, in Kislovodsk the temperature -17°, in Crimea - -15° and in Sochi area - -10° was registered. The decade average temperature anomalies reached -8°…-13°. Frosts decreasing became in the third decade of the month. And, although decade average temperatures, as before, were negative on the most part of the abovementioned territories, the substantial warming came to the Russian North, Central region and Upper Volga area. At the average, in the third decade it was warmer than usual by 4-11°.