General information

Climate. Several basic factors determine the climates of the Russian Federation. The country’s vast size and compact shape produce a dominance of continental regimes. Its northerly latitude ensures that these are cold continental regimes, the absence of relief barriers on the western and northern sides leaves the country open to Atlantic and Arctic influences. In effect there are only two seasons, winter and summer; spring and autumn are brief periods of rapid change from one extreme to other.

Temperatures at each latitude decline from the west toward a cold pole on the lower Lena.

The average temperature in January is 18o F ( - 8o C) in St. Petersburg, - 17o F ( - 27o C ) in Turukhansk in the West Siberian Plain, - 46o F ( - 43o C) in Yakutsk, and – 58o F ( - 50o C) in Verkhoyansk. Extreme winter cold is the outstanding weather characteristic of most of Russia: the frost-free period exceeds six months only in the North Caucasus and varies with latitude from five to three months in the European section and from three months to less than two in Siberia. The length of snow cover varies from 40 to 200 days across the European Plain and from 120 to 250 in Siberia. In summer, temperatures are more closely connected with latitude; July means range from 39o F (4o C ) in the Arctic islands to 68o C ( 20o C) along the federation’s southern border.
Average temperatures (Centigrade) at some cities:

City	January	July
St. Petersburg	- 12	+ 22
Moscow	- 15	+ 22
Irkutsk	- 23	+ 20
Khabarovsk	- 18	+ 23
Yalta	- 1	+ 26