Climate and surface waters of the Urals. Ural mountains

The territory of the Urals stretches for more than 1800 km from north to south and almost 1000 km from west to east. A variety of relief (two thirds of the territory is a plain, the rest is mountains), natural resources and conditions, the vastness of the territory and determined a wide variety of climatic and weather conditions. The sample shows some of the climate records noted by observers meteorological stations and posts of the Urals in the XX century. This information is not permanent and may change. Nature does not like standards and constancy, and yet some statistics are of interest.

Climate records of the Urals

Nai large quantity precipitation for the year fell in the village of Kazantsevo (Bashkortostan) in 1915 - 1035 mm.

The least - in with. Dombarovsky, Orenburg region in 1937 - 77 mm.

The heaviest downpour took place in the city of Nyazepetrovsk, Chelyabinsk region. August 17, 1963 During the day, 137 mm of precipitation poured onto the city (more than two monthly norms).

Very intense rain fell on st. Vereshchagino, Perm region June 30, 1956 - 62 mm of precipitation fell in 12 minutes (with a monthly norm of 69 mm).

One of the heaviest snowfalls with a daily rainfall of 68 mm (94% monthly rate) was held on October 20, 1962 in Minyar, Chelyabinsk region.

The maximum height of snow cover - 147 cm - was recorded in the village. Beads of the Perm region. In the mountains, the snow depth reached 173 cm (Polyudov Kamen, Perm region).

The minimum height of snow cover during the winter was noted in the Kurgan region. in the district centers of Makushino and Petukhovo - 9 cm.

The latest last frost in the air was observed on July 6, 1911 in Irbit and the village. Ivdel July 6, 1935 (Sverdlovsk region).

The largest number of days in a year with a wind of 15 m/s or more reached 220 - Mount Taganay, Chelyabinsk Region. By the way, Taganay is considered the most "windy" station former USSR– the average annual wind speed here exceeds 10 m/s. From settlements The wind record is held by the city of Ufa - 58 days.

Fewer days since strong wind noted in the Upper Kosva, Sverdlovsk region - four.

The earliest date of the last frost in the air was recorded in Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg Region. April 9, 1932

The largest number of days with fog was recorded at st. Inzer (Bashkortostan) - 89 days a year. Of the mountain stations, Taganay has the most days with fog - 269.

The least number of days with fog - in the village. Ports of the Sverdlovsk region

The absolute maximum soil temperature is +69 degrees - c. Kushnarenkovo-1 (Bashkortostan).

The absolute minimum soil temperature is -58 degrees - the village. Palmino, Sverdlovsk region

The record number of thunderstorm days per year was recorded in the village of. Arkhangelsk (Bashkortostan) - 51 days.

The highest monthly precipitation was recorded at st. Kropachevo, Chelyabinsk region in July 1943 - 227 mm. The smallest - at this point fell in July 1952 - 5 mm.

The largest number of days with blizzards is 95 at the Ponomarevsky state farm in the Orenburg region. was in 1956/57. On Taganay, this figure reaches 177 days.

The least number of days with snowstorms is the regional center of Ilek, Orenburg region. in 1964/65 - 8.

The sun shines the longest in the city of Troitsk, Chelyabinsk region. – 2218 hours per year.

The smallest number of hours of sunshine is observed in the city of Krasnovishersk, Perm Region. – 1518 hours per year.

The fewest days of the year with thunder were noted in the village. Starosidorovo, Kurgan region - 2, the largest in Taganay - 11.

The size of large hailstones is up to a goose egg or more, weighing from 150 to 205 g (Bagaryak village, Chelyabinsk region - July 10, 1893). The weight of individual hailstones that fell in July 1962 in Volchansk, Sverdlovsk region, reached 220 g.

The absolute minimum air temperature - 55 degrees below zero was registered in the village. Rastes and Burmantovo, Sverdlovsk region

The absolute maximum air temperature - +42 degrees was observed in the city of Yuzhnouralsk, Chelyabinsk region. and s. Akyar (Bashkortostan).

The latest date of the establishment of snow cover was noted in the village. Syrt, Orenburg region - December 28th.

The earliest date of the first frosts in the air was registered on July 8, 1949 in the village. Toucan (Bashkortostan). On the same day, but in 1960, the first frosts were noted in the city of Ivdel and in 1963 in Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Region. The latest is November 1, 1905 in Ufa.

Nai long duration frost-free period was observed in Ufa - 193 days (1905), and the smallest in the village. Toucan (1949-1950).

At st. Turinsk July 2, 1937, and at the station. Kropachevo On June 28-29, 1961, the thunderstorm continued continuously for almost 21 hours.

The smallest depth of soil freezing at the end of winter was noted in Cherdyn, Perm region. - 11 cm, and the largest - 235 cm was in Petukhovo, Kurgan region.

The maximum wind speed during a squall - 180 km / h was registered in the city of Kamyshlov, Sverdlovsk Region. May 17, 1965 Wind speed over 100 km/h is a frequent phenomenon on Mount Taganay.

The blizzard that began on December 31, 1951 on Polyudov Kamen, Perm Region, continued continuously for 161 hours.

The earliest date for the establishment of snow cover is September 22, Art. Biser of the Perm region, the earliest date of gathering is March 11, p. Belyaevka, Orenburg region

Climate records of the Chelyabinsk region

“This is not Magadan for you, but not Sochi either.” But really, what are we, the Chelyabinsk region, in comparison with Magadan and Sochi?

Most warm city regions - Kartaly with an average annual air temperature of +1.7 degrees. In Chelyabinsk -1.5 degrees of heat (Sochi - +14.1 degrees, Magadan - -4.7 degrees).

The coldest places are the mountains and the north of the region. Medium annual temperature air temperature in Taganay is -2.3 degrees, and in Nyazepetrovsk and Ufaley - +0.3 degrees.

The warmest points, of course, have the longest frost-free period: in Kartaly, an average of 123 days, in Chelyabinsk - 118, on Mount Taganay - 87 days a year (in Sochi - 365 days).

The “wettest” settlement is the city of Asha with an annual rainfall of 833 mm.

The most "dry" places - the village. Izmailovsky Kizilsky district and the district center Oktyabrskoye. Here, 310 and 330 mm of precipitation falls, respectively, per year. In Chelyabinsk - 436 mm (Sochi - 1664 mm, Magadan - 535 mm).

The average daily air temperature of the hottest month of the year in Chelyabinsk is 23.6 degrees (Sochi - 27.1, Magadan - 17.9 degrees).

The average air temperature of the coldest month (January) in the village. Delirium is -17.4 degrees, in Chelyabinsk 16.4 (Sochi +5.8, Magadan -21 degrees).

The duration of the period with an average daily temperature air below 10 degrees in Chelyabinsk reaches 236 days (Sochi - 129, Magadan - 302 days).

The duration of winter (more precisely, the cold period, with an average temperature of 0 and below) in Chelyabinsk is 198 days, in Sochi - 0, in Magadan - 240 days.

Air humidity at 1 pm in the coldest and warmest months of the year reaches 78% and 54%, respectively, in Chelyabinsk, 68% and 70% in Sochi, and 68% and 67% in Magadan.

The greatest duration of sunshine per year in Troitsk is 2218 hours, in Zlatoust - 1611, in Chelyabinsk - 2089 hours. Number of days without sun in a year: Taganay - 139, Troitsk - 57 days.

The Ural lies in the depths of the mainland, far from the Atlantic Ocean. This determines the continentality of its climate. Climatic heterogeneity within the Urals is associated primarily with its large extent from north to south, from the shores of the Barents and Kara Seas to the dry steppes of Kazakhstan. As a result, the northern and southern regions of the Urals find themselves in unequal radiation and circulation conditions and fall into different climatic zones - subarctic (up to the Arctic Circle) and temperate (the rest of the territory).

The belt of mountains is narrow, the heights of the ridges are relatively small, so there is no special mountain climate in the Urals. However, meridionally elongated mountains have a rather significant effect on circulation processes, playing the role of a barrier on the path of the prevailing western transport. air masses. Therefore, although the climates of neighboring plains are repeated in the mountains, but in a slightly modified form. In particular, at any crossing of the Urals in the mountains, the climate of more northern regions is observed than on the adjacent plains of the foothills, that is, the climatic zones in the mountains are shifted to the south compared to neighboring plains.

Thus, within the Ural mountain country the change in climatic conditions is subject to the law of latitudinal zonality and is only somewhat complicated by altitudinal zonality. There is a change in climate from tundra to steppe.

The climate is continental, increasing from north to south and from west to east. Climatic heterogeneity arises due to the large extent from north to south and the dissection of the relief, which is the reason for the differences in radiation conditions.

The amount of solar radiation increases when moving from north to south. The annual course of solar radiation clearly shows four seasons. The radiation balance in January is everywhere negative, summer and annual balance- positive. Average annual and July temperatures increase from north to south and show a zonal character.

Temperature contrasts between north and south are especially pronounced in summer. In the northeastern part of Pai Khoi average temperature July is 6°C, and near the southern border of the Urals 22°C. In winter, the differences are smoothed out, despite the fact that the difference in the amount of solar radiation in winter is much sharper than in summer, when the decrease in the angle of incidence of sunlight to the north is compensated by an increase in the duration of sunshine.

When moving south, winter is shortened and summer is lengthened. Spring is getting shorter and autumn is getting longer. warm season on the eastern slope it is shorter due to the earlier onset of autumn.

In the mountainous Urals, winter inversions of air temperature are observed. They are caused by the fact that the temperature of the surface layer of air lying on snow-covered plains is usually sharply negative, especially in anticyclonic weather conditions, when the effective radiation is large and far exceeds the radiative heat input.

In addition, the plains surrounding the Urals are often filled with dense cold arctic air. Dense cold air masses formed within the Voeikov axis also come here. Humid and warm air masses of the Atlantic come from the west over cold air masses. All this causes an anomalous temperature distribution.

the north of the Urals in winter is under the influence of cyclonic activity on the Arctic front, passing along the hollow reduced pressure, which is located above the water area Barents Sea. With cyclones in northern regions country arrives warmer sea ​​air from the North Atlantic and the western regions of the Arctic. In addition, the Barents Sea in winter serves as some source of heat and moisture due to warm waters brought into it by the North Cape Current.

Pai-Khoi is located at the junction of the influence of the cold Kara Sea and relatively warm Barents, therefore, it experiences the contradictory influence of air masses that form over their water areas. Lowest winter temperatures are observed in the northeastern part of the Urals, at the foot of the Polar and Subpolar Urals. The average January temperature here is -22°C, but this is not a particularly low temperature for the polar latitudes.

The southern part of the Urals in winter is mainly under the influence of cold continental air masses from the Asian High, so the January temperatures are quite low here too (-17°С in the southern part of the Trans-Urals, -16°С in the south of the Cis-Urals).

Thus, the difference between the average January temperatures between the northeast and southwest of the Urals is 6°C, and the average July temperature between the north and south is 16°C. The increase in continentality within the Urals occurs from the northwest to the southeast. The duration and time of the onset of the seasons of the year are related to the latitudinal zonality of temperature conditions. So, in the Polar Urals, winter lasts eight months, and summer - only a month and a half. To the south, winter becomes shorter, and summer lengthens by 2-2.5 times.

Being an obstacle to the movement of air masses from west to east, the Urals is an example of a physiographic country where the effect of orography on climate is quite clearly manifested. This effect is primarily manifested in better moistening of the western slope, which is the first to encounter cyclones, and the Cis-Urals. At all crossings of the Urals, the amount of precipitation on the western slopes is 150-200 mm more than on the eastern ones.

The distribution of precipitation over the territory of the Urals reveals zonality. In the north of the Polar Urals, the minimum amount falls. When moving south to the northern part of the Middle Urals, their number increases. To the south - they decrease, and in the most elevated part Southern Urals are increasing again. To the south of this maximum, annual precipitation decreases again. The western slope receives more rainfall.

Such features of the distribution of annual precipitation over the territory of the Urals are explained by the system of air currents washing the Urals. The crest of maximum precipitation in the Urals coincides with the most common paths of movement of Atlantic air masses in the form of cyclones. The Polar Urals are often captured by arctic air masses that are not moist enough. Continental air dominates in the Southern Urals temperate latitudes. In either case, heavy rainfall is impossible.

The snow cover is unevenly distributed. More snow falls on the windward slope and especially in the region of the Subpolar Urals, where modern glaciers are concentrated. There are about 50 of them. All of them are medium-sized, cirque - residual from the ice ages.

The greatest amount of precipitation (over 1000 mm) falls on the western slopes of the Polar, Subpolar and partially Northern Urals. This is due to both the height of the mountains and their position on the main paths of the Atlantic cyclones. To the south, the amount of precipitation gradually decreases to 600-700 mm, again increasing to 850 mm in the most highly elevated part of the Southern Urals. In the southern and southeastern parts of the Urals, as well as in far north the annual amount of precipitation is less than 500-450 mm. The maximum precipitation occurs during the warm period.

In winter, snow cover sets in the Urals. Its thickness in the Cis-Urals is 70-90 cm. In the mountains, the snow thickness increases with height, reaching 1.5-2 m on the western slopes of the Subpolar and Northern Urals. Snow is especially abundant in the upper part of the forest belt. There is much less snow in the Trans-Urals. In the southern part of the Trans-Urals, its thickness does not exceed 30–40 cm.

In general, within the Ural mountain country, the climate varies from severe and cold in the north to continental and rather dry in the south. There are noticeable differences in the climate of mountainous regions, western and eastern foothills. The climate of the Cis-Urals and the western slopes of the mountains is similar in a number of ways to the climate of the eastern regions of the Russian Plain, and the climate of the eastern slopes of the mountains and the Trans-Urals is close to the continental climate Western Siberia.

The rugged relief of the mountains causes a significant variety of their local climates. Here there is a change in temperature with height, although not as significant as in the Caucasus. During the summer, temperatures drop. For example, in the foothills of the Subpolar Urals, the average temperature in July is 12°C, and at altitudes of 1600-1800 m - only 3-4°C. In winter, cold air stagnates in intermountain basins and temperature inversions are observed. As a result, the degree of climate continentality in the basins is much higher than on the mountain ranges. Therefore, mountains of unequal height, slopes of different wind and solar exposure, mountain ranges and intermountain basins differ from each other in their climatic features.

Climatic features and orographic conditions contribute to the development of small forms of modern glaciation in the Polar and Subpolar Urals, between 68 and 64°N. There are 143 glaciers here, and their total area is just over 28 km 2

The moisture coefficient in the forest zone and the tundra zone is greater than one, in the forest-steppe zone it is equal to one, and in the steppe zone it is less than one.

The climatic conditions of the western slope of the Urals are close to the Russian Plain with features of a temperate continental climate, and the eastern ones - of Western Siberia with a continental climate.



The Urals is a rather interesting and very important geographical region. Russian Federation. Its name and activity is provided by the main constituent part - the Ural mountain system, which crosses the latitude of Russia in meridional direction for 2,500 km, originating off the coast of the Northern Arctic Ocean, and entering the northern part of Kazakhstan.

It is divided geographically into the following parts: Polar, Subpolar, Northern, Middle and Southern Urals. It is the mountains that are the dividing line between Europe and Asia, the East European (Urals) and West Siberian plains (Trans-Urals), reaching a maximum width of 150 km and a minimum of 40-50 km. Such a huge extent of the geographic region from north to south, of course, makes the Ural climate very dissimilar.

Its northern part is subject to the influence of the subarctic zone, the rest is moderate. The latter, in turn, is divided into continental and sharply continental from northwest to southeast along Ural mountains. A low mountain system plays a role in climate formation, as a climatic barrier, location between plains in the middle of the mainland, remoteness from oceans and seas.

So, average air temperature in summer in the north it is +6-8°С, when in the south it is +20-22°С, and in winter -16°С and -20°С, respectively. The plain terrain of the Cis-Urals and Trans-Urals gives access to air masses from the Atlantic, the Arctic Ocean, continental air comes from the center of the mainland - tropical from the steppes of Kazakhstan or icy from Siberia.

All this is the result of an anomalous distribution of temperatures in the Urals and a large amplitude of fluctuations in the average annual indicators - from 50 to 70 degrees. The sharply continental climate of the Ural Mountains is most pronounced in the southeast, so in the Southern Urals summer lasts 3 months with an increase in air temperature to 25-35 ° C and dry cold winter-20-25°С.

The Polar Urals is almost always winter (8 months), where summer lasts only 1.5 months. Often, winter in the Trans-Urals is especially severe with 40-45 ° C below zero and a small layer of snow of 30-40 cm, compared with 80-90 cm of snow cover in the Cis-Urals and 1.5-2 meters on the western slopes of the Subpolar and Northern Urals.

Most of the moisture falls on the peaks and the western slope of the mountains, which intercepts precipitation from the Atlantic Ocean by 1,000 mm per year, while only 500 mm reaches the eastern slope, but in their most elevated part in the Southern Urals, the amount of precipitation increases to 850 mm. A feature of the Ural climate is inversions that take place in the hollows of the mountains from the stagnation of cold air. This provides a greater degree of climate continentality in the created basins than in the difference in heights.

For example, at the foot of the mountains in the Subpolar Urals in summer the temperature is + 12 ° C, and having risen to the height of Mount Narodnaya at 1,894 meters - + 3-4 ° C, when in Caucasus mountains temperature varies considerably. Considering the climate of the Urals, it is impossible to briefly characterize it, because, as a geographical region, it occupies a considerable area and captures the temperate and subarctic zones, but it can be precisely determined that the mountains have an influence on the formation of the local climate.

You will be interested in the riddle of the Ural labyrinth

The "stone belt" of the Ural Range stretches in the meridional direction for more than 2.5 thousand km, so the climate of this territory varies greatly from north to south. The Urals is divided into several physical and geographical provinces that differ from each other in terms of climate indicators. In general, the climate is typical mountainous, its continentality increases from the Cis-Urals to the Trans-Urals, since the ridge is a clearly defined climatic barrier on the path of the western Atlantic cyclones.

The climate of the Pai-Khoi ridge

The northern spur of the Urals is the low-mountain, heavily destroyed Pai-Khoi ridge, located on the Yugorsky Peninsula, structurally and morphologically its rocky ridges continue on Vaigach Island. The climate of Pai-Khoi is severe subarctic, winter here lasts up to 230 days. The average temperature in January is -20°C, the absolute minimum is -51°C.

The summer period is short, cold with an average temperature in July of +6°C, separate warm and fine days, the absolute maximum temperature is +33°C. There is very little precipitation on the coast of the cold Kara Sea, 200-400 mm per year. Pai-Khoi is located in the zone of cold storm snowstorms and permafrost.

Climate of the Polar Urals

The mid-mountain region of the Polar Urals stretches from the city of "Konstantinov Kamen" with a mark of 492 m in the north to the Khulga river valley. The highest of the mountain peaks of this province of the Urals is the city of Payer with a mark of 1472 m. In the polar group of ridges, the climatic conditions are very severe subarctic, in the south moderate sharply continental.

The region is located on the border of the stable Siberian anticyclone region and areas subject to the action of Atlantic warm cyclones. Therefore, the climate of the region is unstable with heavy snowfalls, snowstorms and severe frosts. Cyclones come from the west, and the western mountain slopes are characterized by 2-3 times more precipitation than the eastern slopes on the same mountain peaks.

Winter climatic period in the local mountains it lasts up to eight months, the average temperature in January here is -23.5 ° C, the absolute minimum is up to -52.4 ° C. In winter, a specific phenomenon of the so-called temperature inversion, during such periods the temperatures in the intermountain basins are 5-10o lower than high in the mountains.

Summer in the Polar Urals region is short, cold, with extremely unstable weather conditions, hot fine days here can quickly be replaced by a sharp temperature drop, possible frost, cold rain and often hail. The average July temperature is +13.2°C, the maximum temperature rises to +33.8°C. Precipitation here falls 530 mm per year.

Climate of the Subpolar Urals

The highest among the geographical provinces of the Ural Range is the so-called Subpolar Urals, stretching from the headwaters of the Khulga River to the top of Telposis. This is where the highest peak is located. mountain system Narodnaya with a mark of 1895 m. Climatic conditions this region noticeably softer than in the ridges of the Polar Urals.

The climate here is sharply continental with a long and harsh winter, short cool summers and few hot days. The average January air temperature is -20.4°C, while the minimum can drop to -53.7°C. The number of days with stable frosts and snow cover is up to 200 per year.

The summer period in the Subpolar Urals is short and cold with an average July temperature of +14.8°C, the absolute temperature on some days can rise to +32.2°C, sunlight and heat the territory receives 74 kcal/cm2. The severity of the local climate is determined by the northern position of the territory and the height of individual. It is the Subpolar Urals that is characterized the heaviest rainfall among the Ural regions, here on the western mountain slope falls up to 1500 mm.

Climate of the Northern Urals

The region of the mid-mountainous, deaf and hard-to-reach Northern Urals is quite extended, it is located to the south of the peak, which is often called the "Nest of the Winds" of the city of Telposiz with a height of 1617 m near 64o N. sh. to Mount Konzhakovsky Kamen with a height of 1569 m at 59o s. sh.

The climate in the mountains of the Northern Urals is temperate continental with cold, long, snowy winters and short, cool winters. summer periods. The average January temperature is -19.1°C, the absolute minimum is up to -48.6°C, much more snow falls on the western side of the mountains, snow in mountain ravines occurs up to 230 days a year.

The average July temperature is +14.2°C, the maximum temperature can rise to +33.7°C, the weather here in summer is unstable with frequent and heavy rains. Precipitation in the mountains falls 850-950 mm per year. Permafrost is found everywhere in foci up to the Konzhakovsky Stone region located in the south.

Climate of the Middle Urals

The region of the low-mountain, isolated from other regions of the mountainous country, the Middle Urals is located between the top of Konzhakovsky Stone (61o N) in the north and the city of Yuma (55o N) in the south. On formation climatic conditions The region is strongly influenced by Atlantic warm winds from the west. Due to the rapid change of alternating winds, the weather in the region is extremely unstable.

Significant distance from the warm Atlantic and proximity harsh Siberia made the climate in the region typical continental, which is expressed in a sharp change in annual and daily temperatures. The region of the Middle Urals is a natural obstacle on the path of warm Atlantic cyclones to the east; on its western slope, there is noticeably more rain and snow than on the eastern one.

Also Middle Ural do not prevent the cold arctic air from moving far to the south, dry and hot Kazakh winds to the north. This is also a factor in the instability of local weather. Winter in the region lasts up to five months, cold and frosty with frequent snowfalls and blizzards.

With the arrival of Arctic air, long periods of clear and very frosty weather come. The temperature in January here averages -18°C, during frosty periods it can even drop to -50°C. During the winter climatic period, meter-long layers of snow can accumulate in mountain ravines, it begins to melt in April, and continues to melt in dense windbreak forests or on mountain peaks until the end of May.

Summer in the region is quite warm and hot with an average July temperature of +18°C, on some hot days it can rise to +37°C. The frost-free period here lasts up to 120 days. In the very north of the region, summers are often rainy, often with significant cooling. Up to 700 mm of precipitation can fall on the western slopes of the mountains, less on the eastern slopes, up to 450-500 mm annually.

Climate of the Southern Urals

The orographically expanded region of the Southern Urals stretches for 550 km from the city of Yurma at 56o N. sh. to the low mountains of Mugodzhary located in Kazakhstan. Its highest mark is the city of Yamantau with a height of 1640 m. The territory is characterized by a sharply continental climate with elements of drought with cold winters lasting up to 5 months, moderately warm and rather hot summers.

Winter weather in the region is determined by the extensive and stable Asian anticyclone, which periodically comes to the territory from Siberia. In summer, cold winds often come from the Kara Sea; they alternate in the region with tropical Central Asian winds. The continentality of the local climate gradually increases from the northwest to the southeast.

Winter, which lasts here from November to March, is severe with a predominance of clear and fairly frosty days. When the winds change, blizzards are observed here. The average January temperature in the region is -22°C, the minimum temperature drops to -45°C. Sometimes Atlantic cyclones come here and bring a thaw with rain, sleet and fog. Snow cover with an abundance of snowfalls can reach one meter.

Spring here is late, there are frequent frosts. In the off-season, one can especially clearly observe the alternation of clear days with cloudy gloomy rainy days. The snow melts by mid-April, sometimes it can persist until May. Unstable weather contributes to the spring thaw. Frosts last in the mountains until early July.

Summer in the region is moderately warm, quite often there are thunderstorms and very heavy rains. The average monthly temperature in July in this area is + 19 ° C, on some hot days it can rise to + 34 ° C. By August, precipitation becomes much less, the amount increases sunny days frosts are often observed.

Autumn here is cool, rainy, sometimes with strong gusty winds. But often September pleases with fine days with an abundance of sun and indispensable frosts in the mornings. Rains and fogs are prolonged, sometimes up to 15 days a month. Precipitation in the region is from 350 to 700 mm annually, it rains mostly in summer.

The climate of the Mugodzhary mountains

The southern spurs of the Ural Range are low stone ridges, the hills of Mugodzhary. The average height of the Mugodzharsky mountains is 300-400 m, the highest mark of the mountain system is the city of Boktybai with a height of 657 m. The climate in the Mugodzharsky hills is sharply continental with cold winters with little snow and dry hot summers. A feature of the local climate is that it is similar to the climate of the more southerly neighboring arid plains.

Although the Mugodzharsky hills are low, they prevent the movement of air masses to the east and delay precipitation on their slopes. Winter in Mugodzhary is cold with strong storms, the average temperature in January is -14oC, the minimum temperature drops to -40oC. In July, the average temperature is +24°C, on some hot days it can rise to +38°C. Precipitation in Mugodzhary falls 250-300 mm annually, mostly in the form of rain in summer.

To answer the question, what is the climate in the Urals, you must first analyze it geographical position. The main part of the territory of this geographical region falls on the Ural mountain range, which stretches from north to south and determines climatic features this territory. Also part of the region are the territories adjacent to the east and west, belonging to the West Siberian and Russian plains.

Ural: climate features

The relief features of the Ural Mountains largely determine the climate of these places. It is this circumstance that is the reason for the allocation of the Ural region to an independent climatic region. The "vertical" location of the mountains (from north to south) determines the complexity and diversity of the climate of the Urals.

The meridionally elongated mountain range serves as a natural obstacle to the prevailing western air currents in this area, deforming the direction of their movement, which affects the climatic zonality of the territory:

• on the eastern outskirts of the Russian Plain, the climate type is temperate continental;
• on the landscapes adjacent to the Ural Mountains West Siberian Plain- almost everywhere continental.

Thus, the Ural Range is a natural boundary between the climatic zones of the European part of Russia and Siberia.

The type of climate in the Urals changes from north to south, from tundra to steppe, in accordance with the change natural areas. Let's talk about them in more detail.

Pai Hoi

Pai-Khoi is an ancient, heavily destroyed mountain range in the center of the Yugorsky Peninsula, shifted to the northeast relative to the main mountain system of the Urals. The climate in this area is subarctic, with average annual temperature-9°C. Permafrost reigns on Pai-Khoi, winter can last up to 230 days.

Polar Ural

The polar Ural is the northernmost region of the Ural Mountains from the Konstantinov stone to the Khulga river. The relief features are determined by long-term erosion caused, among other things, by the impact of glaciers:

• deep, wide valleys;
• low passes;
• typically glacial structures (trogs, kars, etc.).

The climate of the Polar part of the Urals is due to the fact that the territory is located at the junction of the action of European cyclones and the Siberian anticyclone. Therefore, its type here is sharply continental, characterized by severe winters with a lot of snow and strong winds. The air temperature in winter can drop to -55°C. In frosty clear weather in this area, the phenomenon of temperature inversion is observed (the air temperature in the flat areas is lower than in the mountains).

Subpolar Urals

In the Subpolar Urals, the most high peaks this mountain system, the width of which here reaches 150 km. The relief here has the following features: the asymmetry of the slopes of the mountain range, their high altitude, alpine landforms, fairly high passes, deep gorges and valleys that divide the range from west to east.

The climate of the Subpolar Urals is severe. It is sharply continental here, with long winters and short summer. Severe climatic conditions are mainly due to geographical location territory and a significant height of the mountain range. An important factor, affecting the climate of the Urals in its circumpolar part, is also the location of the mountains perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction, which, as mentioned above, determines the difference in climatic conditions on the European and Asian slopes of the Urals, in particular, in the distribution of precipitation.

Northern Ural

The northern part of the Ural Range extends from the Shchuger River in the north to the Kosvinsky Stone in the south. This is one of the most inaccessible areas, where there are practically no settlements or roads. Both from the west and from the east, the mountain range is surrounded by forests and swamps. The climate of the Urals in its northern part is quite severe. There are still zones here permafrost. Snow in the mountains in some places does not have time to melt over the summer.

Middle Ural

Middle Ural - the lowest part of the named ridge, limited by approximately 56th and 59th degrees northern latitude. Height of the most high points in this part of the mountain range it is only about 700-900 m. The highest mountain (Middle Baseg) reaches 994 m. The river valleys here are relatively wide.

The climate features of the Middle Urals are determined mainly by the western Atlantic winds. In this area, the continental type of climate prevails, which is explained by the proximity of Siberia and the remoteness of the Atlantic, so the temperature change here is sharp.

The western slope receives more precipitation than the eastern slope. At the same time, the low height of the mountains does not prevent the penetration of cold air from the Arctic and the advancement of warm and dry air from the south to the northern regions of the Ural Mountains. This fact explains the instability of the weather in the area, especially in the spring and autumn periods.

Southern Urals

The Southern Urals is the widest part of the mountain system, located between the Middle Urals and Mugodzhary (the southern spur of the Ural Mountains, located on the territory of Kazakhstan). Due to the extensive foothills, the width of the ridge here reaches up to 250 km. This area has a variety of complex terrain. The axis is the watershed of the basins of the Ural and Belaya rivers - the Uraltau ridge.

In this area, the climate is sharply continental: hot summer, followed by a long frosty winter. In winter, the air temperature sometimes drops to -45°C. Summer here is moderately warm, characterized by frequent precipitation.

Thus, the analysis carried out allows us to conclude that the climatic conditions of the Ural region are ambiguous, which is primarily due to the peculiarities of its geographical location.