The opportunity to sunbathe on the sun is not the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of Siberia, a huge and sparsely populated Russian region, stretching all the way to the Arctic and covered with snow during the greater part of the year.
Recently, however, on this cold area, covered with birch forests and the prison camps, was struck by an unprecedented heat wave — and people began to absorb sunlight, including on rooftops of their homes. “I was born in Siberia and lived here for 60 years. But I do not remember any spring, which would be similar to this,” said journalist Sergei Sobchuk (Sergey Zubchuk).
As it turned out, the Europeans were not alone in their enjoyment of meteorological anomalies and the solar spring in the entire history of observations. From the coast of California to Central India, the temperature has risen to an unprecedented level.
Record temperatures were recorded throughout Canada and in the Arctic, in the Mediterranean; this trend was reflected in the southern hemisphere, and as a result, despite the impending winter, the South island in New Zealand in may the temperature reached 26 degrees Celsius, 10 degrees above average daytime temperatures.
In Khatanga, the remote Russian village, located North of the Arctic circle, 23 may was recorded the temperature at 25 degrees Celsius. That’s 13 degrees higher than in may last year — the month when the temperature there typically does not rise above minus 2 degrees Celsius.
In other regions of Siberia in may the temperature reached 35 degrees Celsius, which is approximately two times higher than the normal values. According to journalist Subcuta living in Barnaul, a city in the South of Siberia and its neighbors in these very warm days sunbathing on the roofs of their cottages.
Apple and cherry trees bloom four weeks earlier than normal, he added. The snow, which in this region is gradually melting in the month of April — and this year it was more than usual — I almost melted one day after the arrival of the heat. According to Sobchaka, it was so hot that he for the first time in the spring, was forced to sleep with the Windows wide open.
While the inhabitants of Siberia and the Europeans got the opportunity to enjoy the sun, scientists see this as an additional disturbing evidence of climate change, if they ever need someone. “Maybe the vaccine will find a way out of the pandemic coronavirus, but there is no return to normal weather,” said Doug Parr (Parr Doug), chief specialist of the British branch of the organization “Greenpeace” (Greenpeace).
Climatologist Christy Gave (Kristy Dahl), who study the dangerous effects of extreme heat, alarmed by the coincidence in time of a pandemic coronavirus and the period of abnormally high temperature. “Many of the ways in which we usually cope with extreme weather, can lose its effectiveness,” she said. She also noted the fact that such public space with air conditioning as libraries and community centres (community centres) are closed today. Emergency services are experiencing a lot of stress in their work, and their staff are less able to deal with emergencies related to weather anomalies.
For Robinson, Annika (Annika Robinson), a disabled veteran residing in the town of sandy valley (Sandy Valley) in the suburbs of Las Vegas, life has become more like a struggle for survival, when in late April the temperature rose to 37 degrees Celsius.
In a normal situation, she would be able to cool off under the air conditioner at the local hospital. However, the mode of isolation and the threat of infection by the coronavirus led to the fact that she was forced to suffer at home. Many residents turned to their neighbours to quickly repair a cooling system or fans that they managed to find. During this period, some people have lost their livestock.
In may in various parts of California were broken temperature records, and the state Governor Gavin Newsom (Gavin Newsom) has angered local residents that closed the beaches just at the moment when crowds of people tried to cool off.
Intense heat spread throughout the Mediterranean region, and Israel before the time weakened the regime of self-isolation and re-opened in the coastal parts of the cities. However, the beaches remained closed in neighboring Lebanon, what made suffering from the heat of the inhabitants of Beirut to set up inflatable pools on the balconies and on rooftops.
Cyprus has turned into an Inferno, and there was seen in may, the hottest day in the entire history of observations 42.5 degree Celsius. Police have discharged the fines residents for being on the beach, if they continued to stay there after bathing is allowed.
Perhaps the most significant impact of the pandemic coronavirus in combination with the heat was reported in India, where thousands of migrant workers heading to their homeland, were forced to walk at very high temperature to pass many kilometers, some of them could not stand such a test and died. At the end of may in Delhi established the extraordinary heat of 47.6 degrees Celsius, and thereby set a record for that month.
According to experts, the year 2020 may become one of the five warmest in history of meteorological observations, and it is possible that unusually hot spring was merely a prelude to an even hotter summer. Perhaps in Siberia is still come nice and hot weather, but in other places, according to Doug Parr, the high temperature can be a problem. “Permanently in some places will be very, very difficult,” he added.
