May hot weather breaks centenary record in Volga region: what’s next?
Experts have explained for how long the hot weather in Tatarstan will last
The record hot weather in Tatarstan will stay until 20 May, Professor, head of the Department of Meteorology, Climatology, Environment and Atmosphere at Kazan Federal University Yury Perevedentsev has told Realnoe Vremya. Also, a shortage of precipitation and high atmospheric pressure will be observed in our region. Won’t the scenario of a dry summer in 2010 repeat in the republic? Leading employee of FOBOS Weather Centre Yevgeny Tishkovets warned that abnormally hot weather awaited citizens of Central Russia. Read more in Realnoe Vremya’s report.
Record hot weather in 100 years
Extremely hot weather is expected in Central Russia in the second half of May, FOBOS Weather Centre warned. Leading specialist of the centre Yevgeny Tishkovets explained that this year the meteorological summer was two weeks earlier than usual.
Since last week, “the average temperature of the air has exceeded +15 degrees for the first time this year, which is a criterion for a change of climatic seasons,” the expert explained.
The specialist thinks that this week will bring a real Central Asian heatwave to Central Russia.
“There is a probability that the 124-year record will repeat or be broken when meteorologists registered +29,1 on 18 May 1897,” Tishkovets claims. “So according to the forecasts for Tuesday and Wednesday, the temperature in the capital at night will be +17, while during the day the temperature will rise to +30 degrees.”
July in May
Professor, head of the Department of Meteorology, Climatology, Environment and Atmosphere at Kazan Federal University Yury Perevedentsev has told Realnoe Vremya that the hot weather would stay in Tatarstan approximately until 20 May.
“Now the republic is in a western periphery of the anticyclone whose centre is already in the Urals, near Yekaterinburg. Perhaps, it has reached even Siberia,” the scientist explained.
Also, southeast and south warm air flows, which are subtropical, in fact, are moving towards us. “We see a rise in the atmospheric pressure accompanied by clear weather and zero wind,” Perevedentsev said. “A slow and persistent anticyclone is reigning.”
Meteorologists consider the air temperature in Tatarstan abnormal. Now it should be about 13-14 degrees. However, it turned out to be 8-9 degrees above the climatic average.
Is drought threatening Tatarstan?
Earlier, Russia’s Hydrometeorological Centre had predicted that the average monthly temperature in Tatarstan in May would be slightly above the average. “As for precipitation, the forecast at the moment is completely true,” the meteorologist has claimed. “Nowadays, the precipitation is four times below the average.”
From Perevedentsev’s point of view, one shouldn’t believe long-term forecasts because they don’t always come true. However, the scientist doesn’t rule out such a probability that Tatarstan will turn out under the influence of the Arctic air and the last decade of the month will be cold.
“May is often hot that is then followed by chilly June,” the professor stressed. “The Arctic is opening, cold air masses are heading towards us from there.”
However, a high temperature was seen in the republic in May 2019 too. “The hottest weather was at the weekend, up to 32 degrees,” the meteorologist said.
Perevedentsev is sure that nothing is threatening the republic’s harvest. Firstly, the winter was very snowy. Secondly, over 60% of the monthly precipitation was in April.
“There are reserves of humidity in the soil, it is enough,” the professor thinks. “There is a lot of warmth. The vegetation is developing actively.”
Nonetheless, the scientist has reminded us that there might be ground frost through 7 June. “Most importantly, the weather should be stable,” Perevedentsev stressed. “Otherwise, there will be a real danger of facing a storm, tornado or twister. But we will hope for the best.”