Russia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Kazan
This month in numbers
Russia experienced its 5th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of -1.33°C, a significant 3.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The February–April 2026 period saw Russia record its 6th warmest such period on record, with an average temperature of -10.21°C, an anomaly of +3.5°C. This continues a trend of warmer-than-average conditions, with Russia ranking 11th globally for its 12-month rolling temperature anomaly, at +3.04°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. In contrast to the overall warming trend, Moscow experienced an unusually heavy late-April snowstorm on April 27–28, 2026, which broke daily snowfall records dating back to 1880. This unseasonal snowfall led to power outages and traffic disruptions.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Russia is largely driven by , where high northern latitudes are warming at a faster rate than the global average. The late-April snowstorm in Moscow was attributed to an "Omega Block" over the North Atlantic, a stalled high-pressure system that forced a conveyor belt of Arctic air deep into Eastern Europe. Russia has also seen a significant concentration of extreme weather events recently, with 27 wildfire events occurring between May 10 and May 21, 2026, representing 100% of the annual total for wildfires. Additionally, a drought event has been active since December 2025, and a flood event occurred in May 2026. These recent floods in May have affected several regions including Krasnoyarsk Krai, Yakutia, Samara, and Irkutsk Oblasts, with rivers overflowing and causing inundation. You can track active extreme weather events at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The Climate Impact Company's Summer 2026 climate forecast indicates the evolution of a major drought in Europe that is expected to extend into Southwest Russia.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
Data Sources
Data Sources for Russia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Russia changing?
Russia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Russia come from?
Climate data for Russia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Russia climate data cover?
The Russia climate profile covers Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Russia
How often is the Russia climate update refreshed?
The Russia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.