Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Russia’s Weather Divides: Mild, Cloudy West as Siberia Plunges to −50°C with Blizzard Alerts

Warm Atlantic air with persistent cloud cover is keeping European Russia several degrees above normal.

Overview

  • Southwest Moscow saw the first December snowfall late Wednesday, with the broader capital region holding near 0 to +2°C and forecasters expecting cloud cover to linger into the weekend.
  • The Hydrometcenter extended a yellow alert for localized fog in Moscow and the region through midday December 3, as freezing drizzle and black ice were observed in places.
  • Across the North‑West, rain and wet snow persisted, while the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and northern Komi faced blowing snow and storm‑force gusts reaching roughly 20–23 m/s.
  • Verkhoyansk in Yakutia registered about −51°C on Wednesday morning, and local authorities reported distance learning days for many schoolchildren due to the extreme cold.
  • The Russian Hydrometcenter warned of strong blizzards, hazardous roads and winds up to about 20 m/s across parts of Siberia and the Urals from December 4 to 6, with heightened avalanche risk in mountain areas.