Wildfires and Floods: New Weather Anomalies
The last month of summer will take us on temperature swings. According to forecasters from the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia (Gidromettsentr), periods of heat will alternate with cold snaps, downpours, and thunderstorms. We explain what weather residents of different regions should prepare for.
What will the temperature be in August?
In the European part of the country, the first half of the month will delight with summer weather, but the second ten-day period may become cooler. In Moscow and the Moscow region, average temperatures are expected around +20–+25 °C (68–77 °F), towards the end — +17–+22 °C (63–72 °F). Precipitation will be within normal limits, but local downpours are possible.
The south of the country (Volgograd, Astrakhan, Rostov regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol krais), where rains poured in July, will be treated to heat up to +32 °C (90 °F). Similar weather is expected in the south of the Volga region — in Saratov and Samara regions. However, such temperatures increase the risk of drought and wildfires.
In the Urals and Western Siberia, a warmer temperature profile is expected compared to previous years. Daytime temperatures at the beginning of the month from +23 °C (73 °F) will drop to +16 °C (61 °F) by the end of summer. At night, cooling is possible from +12 °C (54 °F) to +7 °C (45 °F).
In the Far East, the monsoon season is expected, which may pose a threat of flooding. Air temperatures will be around +22–+25 °C (72–77 °F) during the day and +17–+21 °C (63–70 °F) at night. In the northern part of the country — Murmansk region and northern Karelia — daytime air will warm to +15–+21 °C (59–70 °F), at night to +8–+13 °C (46–55 °F).
Where will downpours and storms continue?
Heavy rains will continue in some regions in August. Local downpours are possible in Krasnodar and Stavropol krais, Rostov, Astrakhan, and Volgograd regions. In the northwest (St. Petersburg, Leningrad region, Karelia, Komi), periods of cloudy weather will alternate with rain, including squally winds and heavy precipitation.
«In August, the Far Eastern region will be the wettest. This is because the Far Eastern monsoon is entering an active phase. Precipitation levels in this region will be near normal. But there is always a risk of flooding,» Leonid Starkov, lead meteorologist of the Gismeteo (weather portal), told Izvestia.
Periods of heavy precipitation and strengthening winds are also possible in the Volga region. The Urals, however, may remain relatively dry in the first half of the month. But by mid-August, waves of cool weather are expected, which will again bring rain and thunderstorms.
