Update: January temperatures across all of Russia were the second-hottest in the country’s recorded history, the Federal Meteorological Service said Wednesday.
Scores of cities across Russia including Moscow and St. Petersburg have experienced the hottest January in their recorded histories, an official at Russia’s meteorological center said Monday.
The latest record comes after 2019 was declared the hottest year on record in Russia. Moscow and some parts of Russia have been reeling from an unusually warm winter, which meteorologists have attributed to an atmospheric front from the Atlantic Ocean.
Average January temperatures across Russia’s European regions broke the overall record by 1.6 degrees Celsius, Interfax quoted Roman Vilfand, the scientific director of Russia's Hydrometeorology Center, as saying.
“It is obvious that the weather has jumped to a different temperature level," Wilfand told Interfax, noting that such anomalies happen “extremely rarely.”
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, January temperatures were 9.4 degrees Celsius above the monthly norm, the Fobos weather center said Sunday.
“The two capitals haven’t seen such warmth in the entire history of weather observations,” it said in an online statement.
“For the first time, the average temperature was above zero [degrees Celsius] in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” Fobos said.
Another 70 cities also experienced the hottest January in their history, the weather center added.
“January 2020 was not a winter month,” Fobos said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
