European Russia's Record Winter Warmth "Previously Unseen Phenomenon" - AFP

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The consistently mild temperatures being registered throughout European Russia this winter are unlike anything experienced before, a top meteorologist said Tuesday. The unusually warm winter weather, more typical of fall, began in December and has continued into January, with average temperatures remaining above zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

Roman Vilfand, head of the Hydrometeorological Center, said temperatures throughout December were 6-8 above the average: "Short-term fluctuations have occurred before, but such weather persisting for a whole month is a previously unseen phenomenon."

The first two weeks of January, normally the coldest month of the year, were the warmest for those dates in the Russian capital in 130 years, meteorological reports said Monday. Last year, conversely, most of Russia was gripped by bitter cold as temperatures plummeted to minus 34C (minus 29.2F) on the night of January 19-20.

Weather experts said on January 10 that the temperature climbed to plus 8C, beating the 1957 record for that day of plus 4, and on January 11 it hit another record of plus 8.6, surpassing the record set January 11, 1991 (plus 4.6).

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/European_Russia_Continued_Warm_Winter_Is_Unprecedented_999.html