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Siberia registers its warmest recorded spring sparking new fears for rapid climate change

By 0 and 0 and 0
11 June 2015

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For a few days in late April, for example, the city of Irkutsk boasted higher temperatures than Madrid. Picture: Vera Salnitskaya

Some parts of Siberia were warmer than usual by 6C, with a host of anecdotal examples of normal meteorological rules being turned on their head. For a few days in late April, for example, the city of Irkutsk boasted higher temperatures than Madrid. 

The ice on vast Lake Baikal was too thin or non-existent even in February and March, forcing the cancellation of a number of events. 

In the past, it was safe to drive cars across the frozen lake, the deepest in the world.

Baikal ice

The ice on vast Lake Baikal was too thin or non-existent even in February and March, forcing the cancellation of a number of events. Picture: eastland.ru

In the Far East, in Sakhalin, bears woke earlier than usual, fooled by the early heat. The same happened thousands of miles to the west in Tomsk region. 

Wild fires were engulf large tracts of Siberia and the Russian Far East as early as March. 

By 25 March, a state of emergency was imposed against fires in the Transbaikal region.

Worse came in the Republic of Khakassia, and across both regions more than 30 people were killed, along with 3,200 domesticated animals. 

Wildfires in Trans-Baikal region


Wildfires in Trans-Baikal region


Wildfires in Khakassia

By 25 March, a state of emergency was imposed against fires in the Transbaikal region, worse came in the Republic of Khakassia, and across both regions more than 30 people were killed. Pictures: Alexei Volovikov, Ekaterina Chepelina

In late May, forest fires in the parched Republic of Buryatia and Irkutsk Region were 2.6 times larger than average.

Climate monitoring by the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia indicates spring 2015 was the warmest in the entire 125-year history of regular meteorological observations.

The risks are the more natural disasters, for example flooding and wildfires.

Warm spring in Siberia


Warm spring in Siberia

Climate monitoring by the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia indicates spring 2015 was the warmest in the entire 125-year history of regular meteorological observations. Pictures: Vera Salnitskaya

Experts say these will be not only more frequent, but more powerful and destructive especially in spring and summer.

Then there is the threat of melting permafrost, resulting in the release of poisonous gases frozen for thousands of years. 

Comments (5)

My opinion: for Siberia (Russia) global warming is bad in short and medium term (sinking houses, sinking roads, sinking infrastructure, transforming all that was permafrost into swamp => increased CO2 emission), but in long term (~200 years) it should be good (when the swamp dries out it becomes arable land, the taiga gets transformed into temperate forest). Yes the price is high, but the benefits are also huge.
Macak, Serbia
18/07/2015 08:00
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The sign of times & things to come. Sadly, world politicos ignored this problem for so long, now it's unfortunately too late to right this future mess we're about to find ourselves in.
Jaker, Dundalk
17/06/2015 01:05
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An expected and unfortunate set of occurrences that mirror similar conditions in the Northern latitudes as Arctic regions warm much more quickly than mid latitudes. Alaska, Northern Canada and Northern Europe are seeing these pronounced temperature anomalies and with it the alteration to the behavior of the jet stream that leads to prolonged weather events further South, most recently the extreme flooding events including those in Texas.
Peter, Flagstaff Arizona. USA
15/06/2015 09:35
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Where would an article be without idiotic comments to say warming would be good for Siberia and the fires were lit by global warming cult. It takes all sorts.It is nice to see at least one newspaper in Russia acknowledging the problem.
Seemorerocks, Wellington, New Zealand
13/06/2015 14:03
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any warming would be improvement for Siberia, IF it was for real, BUT is a lie, same as all the lies that come from desolated places - made up lies by the Warmist Organized Crime (WOC). Also forest fires in Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada are all started by the same cult - they are the only beneficiaries from any disaster, for their fear-mongering:: https://globalwarmingdenier.wordpress.com/2014/07/12/cooling-earth/
stefanthgedenier, cairns / Australia
13/06/2015 07:24
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