Climate Of course with an area the size of Russia, it is difficult to give any sort of general advice about the climate and weather except that summers are warm to hot, and winters get very cold in some areas. In general, the climate of Russia can be described as highly continental influenced climate with warm to hot dry summers and (very) cold winters with temperatures of -30°C and lower and sometimes heavy snowfall. sometimes very strong easterly winds, called Buran can occur, bringing freezing cold temperatures and snowstorms. Precipitation varies from region to region; the Western parts of Russia have the most rain (up to 750 mm), the southern and southeastern areas in the russian Steppes are the Dryest with an annual average below 200 mm.
Northern & Central European Russia have the most varied climate; the mildest areas are along the Baltic coast. The Summer is mostly dry and sunny, sunshine may be nine hours a day, with local showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. As almost everywhere in Russia, winters can be very cold with frost and snowfall, the first Snow often falls in early October. Spring and Autumn can be quite unsettled, sometimes low pressure systems can bring frequent rain- or snowfall and strong winds.
Siberia: This area of Russia is famous for its extreme climate with very cold winters, but warm to hot summers, although they tend to be short and wet. Average Precipitation is about 500 mm, most falls in the form of rain in spring and Autumn. The winter is mostly dry, snow covers the ground from end october to mid march in some years. In the winter the weather can be very dangerous sometimes with temperatures below -35°C, strong winds and snowstorms. The coldest place in Russia is Oimjakon in the central Sibirian region Jakutia, where the winter temperatures are almost the lowest in the world, below -50°C im January. The Artic sea is Ice-bound from November to end March.
Southern European Russia: Winter is shorter than in the north.The Russian Steppes (in the southeast) have hot, dry summers and very cold winters. The north and northeastern areas around the Black Sea have milder winters, but frequent rainfall all the year round. The climate in this region is slightly mediterranean influenced.
Required clothing:
Varies due to the region you want to visit. Heavyweight clothing is needed for the winter, no matter where you go. waterproof light- to mediumweight is advised for the summer. Be prepared for extreme conditions in the northern and northeastern parts of Sibiria in the winter; the temperatures there are the lowest in the world, expecting the Antarctic Continent.
Koeppen-Geiger classification:
Due to the huge size of the country, Russia has almost all climate zones of the world, expecting the tropical climates. The Artic coastal areas of Russia have an E climate, an Ice climate with the warmest month below 10°C. Most of the areas of Russia have variations of a D climate; northern and central Sibiria have a Dfc climate, a humid snow climate with less than four months above 10°C and the coldest month below -3°C; a small area nearby the Black Sea has a Dfa climate with the warmest month above 22°C and the coldest month below -3°C. The western parts of Russia have a Dfb climate with the warmest month under 22°C, four or more months above 10%deg;C and the coldest month below -3°C, while the central and northeastern parts of Sibiria have an Dfd climate, which is the same as a Dfb climate, but more extreme with te coldest month below -38°C. The far eastern regions of Russia have in general variations of a Dw climate, which is a semi-humid snow climate with dry winters. The northeastern regions (around Jakutsk) have a Dwd climate with the coldest month below -38°C, while the southern parts of eastern Russia have a Dwc climate with less than four months above 10°C. The region nearby the North Korean Border has a Dwb climate, with the warmest month below 22°C and four or more months below 10°C. The southern parts of Russia along the coast of the Black Sea, and the borders of Kazachstan and Mongolia have a warmer but dryer BSk climate, a dry Steppe-climate with warm summers and cold winters and an annual average Temperature below 18°.
