Russia’s weather and climate – True or false?
Access the following webpages to discover more about Russia’s weather and climate:
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russiapedia.rt.com/basic-facts-about-russia/climate/
www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/Russia.htm
www.climate-zone.com/climate/russia/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Russia
Student tasks
Read each of the statements in the table below very carefully.
Decide whether they are true or false and write your answer in the second column.
If the statement is false, then explain why and add a correct version in the final column.
True or
false?
Statement
Why is it false?
Corrected statement
There is little variation in the climate of
Russia.
Moscow and St. Petersburg experience
snowfall all year around.
Sochi is located on the Black Sea. It is a
popular summer holiday destination.
Temperatures rarely climb above 15°C in
Siberia.
Winters are so severe in Siberia, with
temperatures falling to –50°C that your
breath turns into tiny icicles. These fall
with a melodic tinkle, known as the
‘whisper of the stars’.
Coastal regions tend to be much cooler
and wetter.
The port of Vladivostok is the world’s
coldest, inhabited place.
The southern and southeastern areas of
the Russian Steppes have the most rain
(more than 750 mm per year).
Sometimes very strong easterly winds,
called Buran occur, bringing freezing
temperatures and snowstorms.
Winters tend to be shorter in the north
than the south of the country.
The north of Russia has a tundra climate.
European Russia has a very similar
climate to that of the British Isles.
© www.teachitgeography.co.uk 2015
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Russia’s weather and climate – True or false?
Extension tasks
1. Moscow is the capital of Russia. Draw a climate graph using the data below:
Climate data for Moscow (1879 – 2015)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May June July
Aug Sept Oct
Daily mean
°C
-6
-7
-1
7
13
17
19
17
11
Precipitation
(mm)
52
41
35
37
49
80
85
82
68
Nov
Dec
6
-1
-5
71
55
52
2. On the same horizontal scale, add a tracing overlay of the average amount of
snowfall in Moscow using the data below. What is the pattern?
Climate data for Moscow (1879 – 2015)
Average
snowfall
(cm)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
22
34
37
16
May June July
0
0
0
Aug Sept Oct
0
0
4
Nov
Dec
8
15
Image credit: Valerii Tkachenko (2006)
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winter_Moscow_cityscape_Red_square.jpg
3. The image shows Moscow in February 2006. Describe the scene in your own words.
© www.teachitgeography.co.uk 2015
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Russia’s weather and climate – True or false?
Answers
Statement
T/F
There is little variation in
the climate of Russia.
False
Moscow and St. Petersburg
experience snowfall all year
around.
False
Sochi is located on the Black
Sea. It is a popular summer
holiday destination.
True
Temperatures rarely climb
above 15°C in Siberia.
Winters are so severe in
Siberia, with temperatures
falling to –50°C that your
breath turns into tiny icicles.
These fall with a melodic
tinkle, known as the
‘whisper of the stars’.
Coastal regions tend to be
much cooler and wetter.
The port of Vladivostok is the
world’s coldest, inhabited
place.
The southern and
southeastern areas of the
Russian Steppes have the
most rain (greater than 750
mm per year).
Sometimes very strong
easterly winds, called Buran
occur, bringing freezing
temperatures and
snowstorms.
Winters tend to be shorter in
the north than the south of
the country.
The north of Russia has a
tundra climate.
European Russia has a very
similar climate to that of the
British Isles.
© www.teachitgeography.co.uk 2015
False
Why is it false?
Corrected statement
Russia’s climate varies dramatically, from
the deep Arctic chill of the far north to the
searing desert heat of some inland areas
further south.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the first snow
usually falls in late November and remains
until early April.
Siberia does have a summer and
temperatures may climb to 20°C or higher.
True
True
False
False
The village of Oymyakon in northeastern
Siberia is the world’s coldest, inhabited
place, with the lowest recorded temperature
being -71.2°C.
The western parts of Russia have the most
rain, up to 750 mm. The southern and
southeastern areas of the Russian Steppes
are the driest, with an annual average of
less than 200 mm.
True
False
Winters tend to be shorter in the south of
Russia than the north of the country.
True
False
Much of European Russia has a humid,
continental climate, unlike the temperate
maritime climate of the British Isles.
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