Yekaterinburg is located in the center of Eurasia near the Ural mountain range, on the banks of the river. Iseti is the administrative center of the Sverdlovsk region. The distance to Moscow is 1,667 thousand km. The scientific and cultural life of the Urals is concentrated here. There are high-tech logistics nodes: six federal highways, an international class airport. Equally important is the presence of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Climatic conditions
The climate of Yekaterinburg is continental, which is characterized by a rapid change in weather. This is due to proximity to Siberia and remoteness from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
The seasons are well defined. The continental climate is characterized by cold winters, hot summers, and a small amount of precipitation. Large atmospheric masses formed over land have the prevailing effect. Such weather is inherent in the interior of the continents, in the central parts of Eurasia.
Due to the remoteness of the oceans and rivers, deserts and steppes form. Yekaterinburg is located in temperate latitudes. The temperature changes rapidly during the day and throughout the year. The average humidity is low, the air is periodically excessively dusty. Few clouds and precipitation. Wind raises dust storms in dry areas. On the border created by the Ural Range, there is a junction of the continental and temperate continental climate. Compared to the territories of the Urals, there is less rainfall, not so much snow.
External influences
Climatic conditions are influenced by air currents, cyclones and precipitation falling here. Although the Ural Mountains are small in height, they block the path of air masses coming from the western side of the European region of the Russian Federation.
The wind speed slows down, it goes south and north, bypassing this territory. The cold air current of continental air coming from western Siberia enters the lands of the Northern Urals.
A warm wind comes from the south side (Central Asian deserts and the Caspian) to the city of Yekaterinburg. The climate is characterized by changing weather conditions due to influences coming from different directions.
The winter period is longer and less warm than in the European territory of the Russian Federation. Lower humidity. The difference in night and day temperature is greater. Anomalies form.
Temperature level
In winter, severe frosts are rapidly replaced by rains and thaws. The average annual temperature reaches minus 16 C (in January -19 C). During periods of frost, it happened that the temperature level fell below - 50 C. Above 0, the mark on the thermometer does not rise for half a year.
In the summer, after a 35-degree heat, sometimes it suddenly gets colder, which catches the inhabitants of the city poorly prepared for the abrupt weather changes. West and southwest winds blow more often than east and north.
From mid-June to late August, warmth comes to the city of Yekaterinburg. The climate in the summer disposes to swimming. The water temperature is 19-22 degrees.
In April, thawing occurs, and by the end of the month the snow completely disappears from the city streets.
Precipitation
The precipitation largely affects the level of relief. In the plains, their number is less. The annual amount of rainwater and snow of 53.7 centimeters characterizes Yekaterinburg. The climate is characterized by humidity of 70%. Throughout May, its level reaches 57%, and in winter - 79%. Large values fall in the summer (maximum indicators are July, minimum values are March). Throughout the year, it rains and snows for 230 days, for one month - 19 days (May - 14, December - 24).
The rainiest period was recorded in 1987. Then in September, 2.29 cm of precipitation fell. The norm was 58 mm. This is 4.2 times less.
The greatest aridity is characterized in April 1904. Then in the city there was no rain at all.
Snow falls in moderation, but lasts a long time, melts several times during the winter. The average height of snowdrifts is 42 centimeters in February and early March. In the southeast, precipitation is less than 40 cm. The largest snow cover was seen in early spring (about 81 cm).
Annual temperature fluctuations
Another indicator characterizing the climate is air. Yekaterinburg is a city with a pronounced continental influence. Winters here are not very cold, the average temperature is -12.5 ° C. The warmest in July (+19 ° C). The rise and fall in the offseason is rapid. In the history of the city, the hottest day was July 1st in 1911. Then the temperature level rose to +38.8 C. In winter, the most severe climate is here. It was coldest in 1978, December 31 (- 46.7 C). At that time, an ultra-polar invasion from the Red Sea took place.
Weather and climate are changing towards warming at the junction of March and April. Yekaterinburg in October-November is characterized by minus temperatures. During the cold season, 4 thaws occur, which is 4.5% of the entire season. Snow did not melt during the entire calendar winter during the history of the city 15 times. Once there was only one thaw.
Highscores
Comparing the climate in Yekaterinburg now and what it was in the middle of the 20th century, significant changes are worth noting. At the junction of the 20th and 21st centuries, there was a sharp increase in temperature levels in winter and less significant in summer. The coldest periods recorded in the history of the city have not changed since 1979.
In the 21st century, there are three records for the warmth of air. In the last decade of last year alone, maximums were reached for five months. In January 2007, November 2013, December 2003, meteorologists noted the highest temperature in the entire history of observations. In February, March and April it was warmest in 1995, in May and October - in 1991. In November, over the past three centuries, while the city of Yekaterinburg existed, the climate turned out to be mildest in 2013 (an average of 1.8 degrees).
The ratio of residents and tourists to the climate of Yekaterinburg
It is difficult for a person who has grown up in a city with more moderate temperature differences to get used to the weather and calmly endure the climate of Yekaterinburg. Responses of residents and guests of the city indicate that summer showers are strong and it’s not very pleasant to fall under them. After this natural phenomenon, dirt and slush remain on the street for a long time.
When the temperature in summer is above +20, the water evaporates quickly, the asphalt dries, but because of this it becomes stuffy. Easier in this regard during the period of spring, autumn and winter. Snow falls for a long time, does not thaw. There is no ice problem when walking on the street is life threatening. Vehicles travel on roads in normal mode. Snowdrifts have time to clear. They are not tall. People even ride bikes, dressing warmly. Driving a car is all the more difficult.