Russia Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Kazan
Summary
Russia experienced its warmest July on record, driven by sustained heat across vast swathes of the country that pushed temperatures well above historical norms. The exceptional midsummer warmth capped off a remarkably intense three-month period that ranks as the country's 2nd warmest May to July since record-keeping began in 1940. This persistent heat has created ideal conditions for summer blazes, particularly across remote northern and Siberian forests, with elevated warmth expected to linger across many regions in the coming months.
This month in numbers
The nation recorded an average temperature of 17.36°C during the latest month, which is 2.0°C warmer than the 1961-1990 baseline and ranks as the 1st warmest July in 87 years of records. The three-month stretch from May to July averaged 12.79°C, an anomaly of +2.4°C that stands as the 2nd highest on record, trailing only the record set in 2012. On a global scale, land temperatures for the month ranked 3rd highest on record at 15.8°C (+1.6°C above baseline), while the global May to July average ranked 2nd highest at 14.34°C (+1.5°C anomaly).
What changed
The remarkable midsummer warmth fits into a longer pattern of accelerating climate change across northern Eurasia. Russia's long-term warming trend stands at +2.15°C relative to the 1961-1990 baseline, with 2025 ranking as the 3rd warmest full year on record at an average temperature of -2.32°C. While recent winters have shown significant variability, summer periods have consistently ranked among the warmest on record over the past decade.
What’s driving change?
The rapid warming across high northern latitudes is heavily driven by and , as melting snow cover exposes darker land surfaces that absorb far more solar radiation. Furthermore, jet stream shifts have allowed stagnant high-pressure systems to linger over inland regions, trapping heat and drying out vast stretches of forest. All of Russia's 25 wildfires this year have happened in the past month. The active blazes, concentrated in remote Siberian taiga, are tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average temperatures are likely to persist across much of Russia through late summer and into autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Russia
Köppen Dfc · ContinentalRussia has a continental climate (Köppen Dfc: Subarctic), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 16.6°C, while January is the coldest at -21.8°C. Annual precipitation averages around 477mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Russia
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Russia
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Russia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Russia
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Russia
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Dfc · ContinentalRussia has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±19.7°C) and a wet/dry cycle (5× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Nov (+12 mm, +52%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore 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.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
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 headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Russia?
Russia has a continental climate (Köppen Dfc: Subarctic), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 16.6°C, while January is the coldest at -21.8°C. Annual precipitation averages around 477mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
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.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Russia climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Russia climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.