Temperatures in many areas of Siberia fell to -56 degrees Celsius, while a snowstorm covered the Russian capital Moscow, causing many flights to be canceled.
In the Sakha Republic located in northern Siberia, temperatures fall below -50 degrees Celsius. Yakutsk, one of the coldest cities in the world, is located in this area.
In Oymyakon, a region in Sakha Republic, the temperature dropped to -56 degrees Celsius on the evening of December 4.
The Russian Meteorological Service said that temperatures in Oymyakon could be below -60 degrees Celsius because of wind and humidity, and overnight temperatures would drop even lower.
“In the eastern regions of Russia, the Urals and Siberia, frosts will increase in the first week of December,” Russia’s national meteorological service said.
Almost all of Sakha lies on permafrost. In the region’s capital Yakutsk, about 5,000km east of Moscow, temperatures are between -44 degrees Celsius and -47 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius have rarely appeared in recent years because of climate change, when the permafrost layer shows signs of warming.
In Moscow, continuous heavy snowfall since December 3 caused a large area of the capital to be covered with a layer of snow more than 35cm thick in just 1 day.
Some Moscow airports had to postpone flights.
Temperatures in Moscow and the surrounding area are forecast to drop to around -20 degrees Celsius this week. In the Ural Mountains, temperatures could drop to -40 degrees Celsius in the next few days.