MAIN WEATHER AND CLIMATE TRAITS IN THE NORTHEN HEMISPHERE AS OF AUGUST 2019
Air Temperature
Cold July weather seemed to get stuck for long in the European Territory of Russia. It dominated in the ETR for the whole first decade of August. Numerous events of record-breaking cold were reported in the north-west and midland parts of Russia. Everywhere from the western border to the Urals, the decade-averaged air temperatures dropped below their normal values, by 2° in most of the ETR and by 4-6° in the South-West Federal District and in the north of the Central Federal District.
Some or the other way, the weather became a bit warmer in the second decade. But in the north, it remained colder than ever, with ground frosts observed for the first time. Low temperatures were also recorded in the Lower Volga Region. Yet, the temperature distribution in most of the ETR was close to normal, or showed a 2-3° increase in the south.
However, cold weather returned in the third decade again. In the Central Black Earth Region and in the Volga Region, it came to unprecedented levels. Frosts were reported in many areas including the Moscow Region. As a result, the monthly-averaged temperature was 1-2° lower than usual in the North-West and Volga Regions and in a large part of the Central Federal District. It should be noted that cold August is not very rare in this part of Russia: as a rule, it happens once in 5-10 years.
A completely different picture was observed beyond the Urals. In Siberia, the weather was hot almost the whole month. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Kemerovo Region, Republics of Tyva and Khakassia, and in the Taimyr, new daily temperature maxima were recorded. In the outcome, this August in Siberia became the second hottest after August 1998 in the history meteorological observations.
MAIN WEATHER AND CLIMATE TRAITS IN THE NORTHEN HEMISPHERE AS OF JULY 2019
Air temperature
From the first days of July to the end of the month, the weather in the European Territory of Russia was abnormally cold. The average air temperatures were 1-3° below the normal value in each of the three decades. Unprecedented colds were recorded again and again, and not only on a daily scale but on a monthly basis as well. For example, new temperature minima for July were set in a number of locations throughout the Central and Volga Federal Districts. The centre of Russia has not seen such cold midsummer since 1985. There, July was colder than June. To be honest, June was very hot this year, and this event could hardly be called a rare exception as it happened for the twentieth time in the 129-year history of meteorological observations in Russia (i.e., once in 6-7 years) and for the second time in the 21st century, 2013 being the first occasion.
The south of the Urals, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District to the east of it and most of the Krasnoyarsk Territory were indulged in warmth, and conquered by heat from time to time. There, the air could warm up to new maximum values in certain places. In Siberia, the air temperature was 3-6° above the normal value in the first and second decades. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and Urals, the thermometer readings crossed a +30° mark sometimes.
In the Far East, the weather was moderately warm in general, apart from eastern Yakutia and Chukotka where new temperature maxima were recorded but the cold finally penetrated in the third decade.