The key weather and climate features in the northern hemisphere in March 2016
Air temperature
The weather in the Russian Federation supported the first month of spring general warming trend. Although in different regions of the country warm and cold periods during the months succeeded each other, in general in March the average temperature was almost everywhere significantly higher than the norm. In most parts of the country anomalies of mean monthly air temperature were + 3 ... + 5°C, and on the Arctic islands in the Barents Sea - + 11-12°C. Only in Chukotka, the air temperature was lower than normal.
New daily temperature highs were set in the Black Earth and the Volga region, the North Caucasus and Trans-Baikal region, Yakutia and the Far East. Already in the beginning of the month in the North Caucasus, the air warmed up to + to 25°C. At the same time, cold and freezing were still frequent. In Kolyma and Chukotka cold reached -40 ... -45°C, in the Komi Republic - -35°C, and even in the Moscow Region up to -15°C. In the third decade, record cold came to the south of the European territory. In the Volgograd, Rostov, and Krasnodar regions, night frosts threatened the growing season of crops.
The key weather and climate features in the northern hemisphere in February 2016
Air temperature
Abnormally warm weather that prevailed in the European territory of Russia (ETR) in the third decade of January remained the same for the whole February. In the Volga and the Black Earth Regions, in the Urals and the Russian North, in the Crimea and the Central region have been repeatedly registered new daily temperature highs. Anomalies of the average decade temperature reached + 12 ... 13°C. In the south end of the month air warmed up to + 20 ... to 25°C. In the North-West, Central and Urals federal districts last February was the warmest in the history of meteorological observations, i.e., since 1891, and in the Volga - it is the second among the warmest after February 2002. In the Central, Northwest and Volga federal districts, the average temperature in the last February was above the norm of March. As a result, the average air temperature in February in the ETR exceeded the norm by 8-12°C.