Many foreigners believe that Russia is a country where the weather is always cold. In reality, climate of Russia is diverse. It may be quite hot, up to +35˚C (+95˚F) in summer.
It’s not always cold in Russia
The climate of the Russian Federation is characterized by changing seasons. All territory of the country has 4 seasons.
- In colder places, below zero temperatures last longer.
- In warmer parts, it’s rarely below the freezing point.
The warmest areas are on the Black Sea near Sochi in the south-west (Krasnodarsky region), which lies in subtropics. The coldest areas are in the northern Far East region.
Republic Sakha is the place where the coldest place on Earth is located. The average temperature of January there is -46˚C (-50.8˚F), according to Wikipedia.
Weather patterns, average temperatures
The average yearly temperature is -15.5˚C (4˚F) in Oymyakon, Repiblic Sakha, and +14.2˚C (57.5˚F) in Sochi. But most days on the coast of the Black Sea in winter the temperature in winter is above zero and can reach +20˚C (68˚F).
- The coldest it ever became in Sochi was -13.4˚C (56˚F).
- The lowest temperature registered in Verkhoyansk, Republic Sakha, was -67.8˚C (-47˚F).
In some places such as Cape Chelyuskin sub goes down for 124 days in winter, while St. Petersburg has the famous “white nights” in June when it never becomes fully dark.
Nearly all of Russia is covered with snow during cold months of winter, except the coastal region of the Black Sea.
- Difference between the coldest and warmest record temperatures is 127˚C (from subzero to above zero temperatures in different places): from +45.2˚C (+113˚F) to -67.8˚C (-47˚F).
Summer in the Russian Federation
Warmer regions of Russia get quite hot in summer, while in the northern Far East the snow melts but it’s still rather cool.
Average temperature among all regions in July is +15.6˚C (60˚F).
- Moscow: +18.2˚C (64.7˚F)
- Sochi: +22.3˚C (72˚F)
- Yekaterinburg: +17.3˚C (63˚F)
- Novosibirsk: +15.5˚C (60˚F)
So, if you plan to visit your Russian girlfriend in her home country during summer, you still need to bring a jacket for cooler weather. But it also may reach +30…+35˚C (+86-95˚F), so take your swimming togs with you as well!
Alternatively, you can meet somewhere in a holiday destination abroad. Here is the list of cheap places to meet Russian girls. Russian women love to travel and you will definitely find a place you could enjoy together!
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I lived in Russia 16 years. I was born in the North. Of course climate in the north is cold. However in the summer was hot for northerner. I think for people from Africa such climate is cold.
Many people believe that throughout Russia bears are walking around. But it’s not true. Bears can go in the city only in the North. However, the government is doing everything to make it impossible to get from the forest to the city.
I’d say it’s not a really mild and heart-warming climate in big cities… especially in Moscow. I don’t know, I’m kind of a eco-freak and I think that nature is finally taking its course on this hectic city. That’s why they have storms, swampfire and things like this… but if you get to some village or any of countryside, it can be a completely other experience at any time of the year. I mean it. Freezingly cold in winter, that’s true, but so good at summer nights! Never see Russian big cities (which is true for all the countries), get… Read more »
Russia is believed to be the coolest country in the world. I went to the US last summer and almost everyone asked me if it is really terribly freezing. I answered that Russia is the most comfortable country judging by its weather. No one believed that we have the same weather conditions as Canada.
I live in Siberia, the weather is very changeable and every day you have no idea what to put on. It may be cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon and very cold in the evening or at night. So, everything depends on the situation. And you should be ready for everything then.
Well, I was born in the south and lived half of my life there and prefer the warm climate, but now I live in the Volga region and the most irritating thing about the weather here isn’t the temperature, it’s the wind, especially with snow or dust flying straight into your eyes. However, I got adapted to the climate and almost all year feel comfortable, I get sick just as much as I used to in the south. Big thanks to the gas heating in houses and all buildings, though imagine the difference when you go out (25 degrees in… Read more »
The place where I live can be called “the middle of Russia”. The weather here is so different from average weather people read about in newspaper forecasts… It can be snowing for some days in June and it can be raining on New Year’s Eve. And we are never bored by constant rain or three week hot weather. That is why we never put our warm clothes in the closet. It’s the Urals, ladies and gentlemen!
The weather has radically changed in recent years. Seasons are moving – for example in the Nord-West region the grass is green in December and winter lasts from January to March. Summer is moving too due to the global warming. So the weather could be untypical.
Why do all foreigners think that Russia is always cold? In fact, this is not true, in our country it can even be very warm in summer and in spring, the temperature can reach +30 degrees in some regions.
I come from Karelia. When foreign people learn it, they immediately say that it is very cold and also that I must be used to the cold. But it is the contrary, I can’t support the cold and am always shivering, due probably to a bad blood circulation. I am really tired of these stupid jokes about “a Northern girl who can not be chilly”.