AccuWeather.com

International Weather Blog

Russia Heat Wave Statistics Staggers the Imagination

Aug 4, 2010; 10:38 AM ET

IT IS AS IF THE RUSSIAN HEARTLAND SHIFTED ONE THOUSAND MILES SOUTH

That the month of July 2010 was hot in Moscow could rank among the foremost understatements in the world of "weather speak."

For one thing, the highest temperature on record (in roughly 130 years of Moscow weather records) was reached on July 29, this being 38.2 C, or 100.8 F. This broke the previous high mark of 37.5 C set only three days earlier, on July 26. This was nearly tied on July 28.

All of this is extraordinary, given that the normal high for this, the hottest time of year, is only 23 C.

Moreover, July 2010 was the hottest July in the climate record of Moscow, as well as the hottest month overall.

Thanks to Loepa, writing from Brasil (of all places!), I have it that the old record for warmest month in Moscow was 23.3 C, or 73.9 F, versus normal of about 17 C, or 63 C.

What about this July? How about 26.1 C, or 79.0 F. So that is nearly a 3 C (and more than 5 F) gap. It is as if Moscow were shifted a thousand miles to the south.

For perspective, the normal average temperature of July in Washington, D.C., is 26.2 C, or 79.2 F, according to the ADC database. Moscow has thus experienced roughly the weather (less the usual steamy humidity and thunderstorms) that is normally expected in the city of Washington, D.C., which lies 1,890 km/1,170 miles nearer to the equator!

ST. PETERSBURG HAS ALSO ENDURED EXTREME TEMPERATURES

I do not have full climate records for St. Petersburg, but I do know about July 2010. The AccuWeather.Com database shows a monthly mean temperature of 24.2 C, or 75.5 F. Normal mean July temperature is 15.2 C, or 59.4 F. Yes, that is even higher above normal than was Moscow.

The city of Indianapolis has a normal mean July temperature of 24.2 C. Yet Indianapolis is 2,250 km/1,400 miles nearer to the equator than St. Petersburg.

I do not say that this is a rigorous "apples-to-apples" comparison. Rather, it is to get a rough idea of how skewed the weather has been this summer in the Russian heartland.

AND IT IS NOT OVER YET...

As of this writing, the highest temperature thus far on Wednesday, Aug. 4, is 36.6 C, or 98 F, in Moscow. St. Petersburg has reached 33.3 C, or 92 F.

Searing heat has invaded eastern Belarus, where readings to 37 C or 38 C have been reached.

In the Ukraine, the worst of the heat has backed westward to Kiev, where August 4 has become the hottest day (37 C to 38 C, or near 100 F) of the summer thus far. And near 40 C yet again in Luhansk.

The GFS numerical forecast model shows widespread extreme high temperature departure, for at least another week, throughout European Russia along with stretches of her western neighbors.

blogs Home >

Comments

Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.

More Jim Andrews

Australia Eyes Iggy

Jan 29, 2012; 1:52 PM ET

It is not out of the question that this cyclone pay Geraldton or even Perth a visit after Wednesday.

The Great Blizzard of January 1978

Jan 26, 2012; 1:54 PM ET

Within minutes of the switchover to snow, visibility was only a few hundred feet in snow and blowing snow.

Tropical Cyclone Landfall in Madagascar

Jan 8, 2012; 1:42 PM ET

Nearly one foot of rain pelted Maintirano within about 48 hours ended Sunday.

Madagascar Facing Cyclone Threat

Jan 7, 2012; 12:39 PM ET

The tropical low could strengthen quickly to an important tropical cyclone before a likely landfall in western Madagascar.

Record Heat, Other Weather Extremes

Dec 22, 2011; 1:35 PM ET

Western Australia state had its hottest December day on record.

November's Second T.C. off Southeast Arabia

Nov 8, 2011; 2:01 PM ET

Impact-wise, the biggest forecast problem is that of rain: will there be another shot of flooding rain along/near Arabia's southeastern coast?

Karachi, Sindh -- Is This the End of the Rain?

Sep 13, 2011; 2:00 PM ET

So there should be no shock in learning that much of Sindh has already tallied 1,000 to more than 2,000 percent of historical average rainfall for the month.

Sindh (Pakistan) Flooding Follows Cloudbursts Last Week

Aug 17, 2011; 1:33 PM ET

Following a mostly rainless July, then a bone-dry first week of August, the rains came in a big way to some, not all, of Sindh.

Snow in New Zealand

Aug 16, 2011; 12:23 PM ET

Before this week's falls, the last significant snow fell in the mid 1970s. If I have understood media reports, this would hold true for both Wellington and Auckland.

Latest on SW Monsoon Rainfall

Aug 10, 2011; 12:42 PM ET

Rainfall across India as a whole (and by extension, the Subcontinent) has been somewhat below normal since June 1, 2011, the official start of the Monsoon season.

Record Heat in Iraq

Aug 2, 2011; 1:14 PM ET

Tuesday, Aug. 2 must have been one of the hottest days, at least in the historical weather record, in the nation of Iraq.

Historic Heat Wave in Russia

Aug 1, 2011; 1:11 PM ET

Fast forward to 2011. A late-July blast of heat out of central and southwest Asia gripped the lower Volga/NW Caspian region beginning about the 26th.

Rain in Karachi; Western Pacific Lighting Up

Jul 26, 2011; 12:41 PM ET

The last measurable rain at this site happened last winter, on February 20.

Ma-on, the Next Big Typhoon

Jul 12, 2011; 12:08 PM ET

Earlier model runs favored a track into the Yellow Sea to Korea and even China. Later model scenarios have been more about mainland Japan.

The Watch Is On for the Next Typhoon

Jul 7, 2011; 12:24 PM ET

The latest GFS numerical forecast model (1200 UTC Thursday) shows slow lessening of the (unfavorable) wind shear over the next few days.

older Posts >

About This Blog

Jim Andrews
The International weather blog from AccuWeather.com is written by Jim Andrews who has more than 10 years experience forecasting outside the United States.