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 on record for land temperatures, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 also ranked as Russia's 6th warmest on record, with an anomaly of +3.5°C.
What changed
This recent warmth continues a trend for Russia, which saw its 2nd warmest year on record in 2025. The country's long-term warming trend stands at +2.18°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Russia is currently ranked 11th globally for its 12-month rolling temperature anomaly, sitting at +3.04°C. In March, severe flooding swept across parts of Russia's North Caucasus region, particularly Dagestan and Chechnya, following days of relentless rainfall. This led to thousands of evacuations and widespread damage to infrastructure. Additionally, Russia has experienced an unusual concentration of wildfires, with four events recorded between April 30 and May 10, representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months. There is also an ongoing drought event, active since December 2025, affecting Russia and several other European countries.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming observed in Russia is largely influenced by , where high northern latitudes are warming at a rate three to four times faster than the global average. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of an El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May-July and a 79% chance for June-August, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to this region ENSO tracker. Recent extreme weather events include multiple environmental disasters in April and May 2026, with drone strikes causing large fires and significant pollution at the Tuapse oil refinery and terminal in the Black Sea region, and similar incidents at the Perm refinery.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks suggest a high likelihood of above-normal temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere for the coming months, with a potential for continued anomalous warmth and dryness in Southwest Russia during June.
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.