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Most of Russia
has a moderate continental climate. Only the islands of the Arctic
Ocean and the continental regions of the Russian Far North lie in
the cold zone. In the south, Russia’s part of the Black Sea coast
enjoys a subtropical climate. As the territory of the country is
extensive, there is a wide range of climate zones in between,
including the tundra, forest, steppe, and semi-desert zones. |
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Weather forecast for Moscow |
Moving west to
east from St. Petersburg, one moves from relatively mild winters and
moderate summers to Siberia, which is characterized by heavy frost
in winter and a short, hot, and humid summer. Further east one
reaches the maritime zone of the Russian Far East characterized by
frequent strong winds and the monsoons that flow from the continent
toward the Pacific Ocean in winter and from the opposite direction
in summer.
The average
temperature over Russia’s territory varies from 1 to -50 degrees
centigrade in January and from 1 to +25 degrees in July.
Precipitation ranges from 100 to 1,000 mm per annum. In winter,
almost all of the Russian Federation is covered by snow. The length
of time that snow remains on the ground varies from
forty to 200 days in European Russia, and from 120 to 250 days in
Siberia.
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Weather forecast for
Verkhoyansk |
The
long, cold winter has a profound impact on almost every aspect of
life in the Russian Federation. It affects where and how long people
live and work, what kinds of crops are grown, and where they are
grown (no part of the country has a year-round growing season). The
length and severity of the winter, together with the sharp
fluctuations in the mean summer and winter temperatures, impose
special requirements on many branches of the economy.
In
regions of permafrost, buildings must be constructed on pilings,
machinery must be made of specially tempered steel, and
transportation systems must be engineered to perform reliably in
extremely low and extremely high temperatures. In addition, during
extended periods of darkness and cold, there are increased demands
for energy, health care, and textiles.
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Weather forecast for
Sochi |
Russia’s
climatic contrasts are quite stark: while the temperature in
Verkhoyansk, a town in Sakha, Siberia, may drop to as low as –70
degrees centigrade in winter and the soil there is permanently
frozen, in the resort city of Sochi on the Black Sea coast snow is
infrequent and melts rapidly in winter and the palm trees are
evergreen.
Russia’s
capital of Moscow is located in a moderate continental climate with
the average temperature of -10.2 degrees in January and +18.1
degrees in July. Precipitation is 540-650 mm per annum, and the
ground remains covered by snow from the end of November to early
April.
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