The climate of Irkutsk is sharply continental, its features are influenced by a number of factors: location, topography, circulation of air masses built by the HPP.
Concepts and definitions
Climate is the long-term weather pattern of a particular area, it is relatively constant. The very concept of "climate" goes back to the Greek word klima, which means "slope", that is, the slope of the earth's surface to the sun's rays. The climate features of the area are closely related to physical and geographical conditions (river valleys, mountain ranges, distance from the sea) and atmospheric circulation (anticyclones, cyclones, air mass movements).
The weather is defined as the state of the lower layers of the atmosphere at a certain time in a certain place, it is changeable.
What is the climate like in Irkutsk? Features of the city's climate
The climate of the city of Irkutsk is sharply continental with long (about 6 months) frosty winters and warm, humid, rainy summers. On the climate of the cityThe construction of the Irkutsk and other hydroelectric power stations on the Angara River had a significant impact: it became softer, but at the same time, the humidity in the region increased significantly. Summer temperatures have dropped significantly, while winter temperatures have risen slightly compared to the period before the construction of the hydropower plant.
In winter, an anticyclone dominates the city, dry, sunny, frosty weather prevails, weak winds (no more than 1 m/s), and the process of cooling the earth's surface is intense.
In the warm season, anticyclones are replaced by cyclones (low atmospheric pressure), which are characterized by high cloudiness and heavy precipitation. Approximately 85% of annual precipitation falls in summer.
Main climatic indicators of the city of Irkutsk and its environs
The uniqueness of meteorological values forms the location of the city of Irkutsk. It is located in the valley of the Angara River, remote from the sea coast. A feature of the city's climate is a frosty long winter and a rainy short summer.
Residents call their city none other than "the city of permafrost" - due to little snowy winters and frequent winds, the surface of the earth is practically not covered with snow cover and freezes out. The coldest month in Irkutsk is January (-15-33°С), and the warmest is July (+18+20°С). In the temperature regime, the minimum air t is -50°С, the maximum is +36°С. The average temperature in Irkutsk in January is -18°С (night), -15°С (day), in July +20°С (night) and +23°С (day). Daily amplitudes reach 20°С, annual amplitudes up to 50°С. Severethe temperature regime in modern conditions can be transferred with the help of ventilation equipment and air conditioning systems. Installation and sale of such equipment is carried out by Klimat LLC (Irkutsk).
In the precipitation regime, the maximum is typical for July, on average, up to 500 mm falls per year. The average air humidity is about 70%, the humidity rises in summer.
Main wind directions prevailing in Irkutsk
In winter, western winds dominate over Irkutsk and its environs, in summer - north-western direction. The valley of the Angara River within the city is oriented from northwest to southeast, the frequency of these wind directions in the city is the highest.
Table of wind direction in Irkutsk
| S-B | B | SW | С | S-E | З | Yu | N-W |
| 2 % | 4.7 % | 5.7 % | 6.5 % | 11.2 % | 18.9 % | 19.7 % | 31.3 % |
In the cold season, due to the influence of the anticyclone, there is a periodic recurrence of calms, its share is about 40%. In spring and autumn, wind speeds reach about 3 m/s.
Adverse weather phenomena developing in the city of Irkutsk
Severe weather events in populated areaspoints pose a serious threat to the life and he alth of people, cause significant damage to property. According to meteorological scientists, in the near future, an increase in the frequency of floods, heavy rains, snowstorms, severe floods, tornadoes, hurricane winds, abnormal temperature fluctuations, droughts and fires is expected within the city and its environs.
The main reason for the growth of such phenomena is an increase in the average temperature of the air and the underlying surface, which leads to an increase in evaporation from the earth's surface (with an increase in t by 1 ° C, evaporation increases by about 7%) and, as a result, an increase in precipitation. So, over the past few years, in the period from January to October, there has been an increase in average monthly t ° С compared to the period 1963-2009. about 2.6°C.
Seasonal adverse weather phenomena in Irkutsk that affect the well-being of residents and their livelihoods include extremely high temperatures (maximum air t°С +35°С for 5 days) and extremely low temperatures (minimum t°С air below -40°C for 5 days).
The causes of extreme temperature manifestations are the continental climate of Irkutsk and the circulation processes in the lower layers of the atmosphere (the intrusion of cold air from the Arctic latitudes in the cold season and the long passage of anticyclones in the summer season).
In the city, one of the most adverse weather phenomena is a strong wind. Meteorologists distinguish two annual maximums of a strong and verystrong wind - in May and November. In the middle of winter and summer, there is a minimal recurrence of strong wind events.
In winter, blizzards are associated with strong winds, most of them are observed from November to March.
During the summer months, strong winds are associated with dust storms and squalls, usually taking place in May-June.
In the middle of summer, there is a peak of such phenomena as prolonged rain (more than 100 mm falls in 12 hours or about 120 mm per day), very heavy rain (50 mm falls in 12 hours) and large hail (hailstones with a diameter of 20 mm).
Cyclones from the south increase the frequency of heavy showers (more than 30 mm of liquid precipitation in less than 1 hour), showers fall in the second half of summer (peak in August).
Heavy fog (visibility is less than 50 m) in the warm season is observed 5 times more often than in the cold, in addition, in recent years, the number of foggy days has increased. The formation of fogs and increased cloudiness in summer, hoarfrost and low visibility in spring and autumn is influenced by hydroelectric power plants.
Heavy fog (visibility is less than 50 m) is observed in the warm season 5 times more often than in the cold, in addition, the number of days per year with heavy fog has increased in recent years.
The influence of cyclones and anticyclones on the climate of the city
Long cold periods are associated with the invasion of polar cyclones, and long warm periods are associated with the passage of southern air masses from temperate latitudes. In recent yearsthe following regularity was recorded: in the territory of the Irkutsk region, periods with extremely severe frost are observed much more often than with extremely intense heat.
Anticyclones make a significant contribution to the formation of haze and fog in Irkutsk, and cyclones influence the formation of showers and strong squally winds.
Irkutsk climate and Siberian character
People say: the climate shapes the character of people. This expression is fully consistent with the truth in relation to the inhabitants of Irkutsk. The harsh Siberian climate tempered and formed the same character. “The most important thing is the weather in the house …”, or rather the climate of the house. For these purposes, a large amount of equipment has been developed that allows climate control in the houses of the city of Irkutsk. Ventilation equipment, air conditioning, room cooling systems and much more allow you to endure all the hardships of the harsh Siberian climate with the help of climate control in Irkutsk.
