|
Autumn stakes its claim on the Russian landscape beginning in the far north as early as August, when the Polar Front begins its annual trek southward, painting the vast Siberian forests with a rainbow of autumn colors. Southern Russia will not feel the cool breezes of fall until November. By September however, the average high temperature in the city of Tiksi has already dropped to 3°C (38°F). As the hours of daylight diminish far north of the Arctic Circle, the average high temperature drops to -9 C (15 F) in October and remains below zero until the following April.
The cool, crisp winds that wash the plains and uplands of Northern and Central European Russia bring clear skies and the first hints of approaching autumn. At Archangel, the average daily high for September is still 11°C (52°F). In Moscow, days are pleasant with temperatures in the neighborhood of 13°C (57°F). Russia's southern lowlands near Volgograd are still averaging a warm 20°C (68°F). At Sochi on the Black Sea, there is hardly a hint of autumn, with high temperatures averaging a balmy 23°C (74°F). Within a month, the temperature differences between north and south become more dramatic. By October, Archangel has cooled to an average high temperature of 3°C (38°F). Moscow begins feeling the first hints of coming winter with temperatures averaging only 7°C (45°F). Pleasant weather holds on at Volgograd, with daytime temperatures still hovering around 11°C (52°F), while Sochi on the Black Sea is enjoying a still warm month averaging 18°C (66°F).
Soon after the first snow begins to fly across the Central Siberian Plain the rivers and lakes of northern Russia freeze, heralding the long cold months of winter. In Yakutsk, September is still pleasant, with high temperatures hovering around 10°C (51°F). By October however, the cold Siberian High begins making its presence felt, dropping the average high temperature to -5°C (22°F). It will remain below 0°C until March. Further south in Irkutsk, the last few weeks of September are still beautifully warm and sunny with little wind. High temperatures remain around 14°C (58°F). By the second week in October however, the first snowfall marks the end of a short autumn season. The average high temperature drops to a chilly 5°C (42°F).
Autumn weather makes its way to the Russian Far East by October amidst warm days and plenty of sunshine. At Magadan in September the average high temperature is a comfortable 9°C (49°F), with some days reaching 17°C (64°F). By October, high temperatures exceed the freezing mark only occasionally and remain below freezing every night until May.
|
