Meteorologist Tatyana Pozdnyakova told news outlet Gazeta.Ru that high air humidity significantly amplifies outdoor weather conditions, making cold temperatures feel colder and hot weather feel hotter.
Pozdnyakova explained that human perception of weather relies on the concept of effective temperature, which calculates how environmental conditions actually feel to the human body.
Pozdnyakova said that when cold weather is accompanied by high humidity, the effective temperature drops even lower. She emphasized that the sensation of cold depends heavily on humidity levels and partly on wind speed.
Meteorologists use effective temperature to measure apparent temperature, taking into account how moisture affects body heat regulation. High atmospheric moisture accelerates heat loss from human skin in freezing conditions, while preventing sweat evaporation in extreme heat.
Humidity levels in Murmansk and Siberia
Because of moisture factors, coastal cities generally experience a much harsher climate. Pozdnyakova noted that winters in the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk feel extremely cold due to high air humidity.
Murmansk is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits along the Kola Bay near the Barents Sea, where marine moisture remains constant throughout the winter months.
In contrast, freezing temperatures in Siberia are tolerated much more easily by residents because the air is drier, the specialist added.
Siberia, a vast region spanning Northern Asia from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, is known for intense continental freezing weather, but low atmospheric moisture reduces the perceived severity of the cold.
Upcoming temperature drops in Moscow region
The explanation of how humidity alters temperature perception comes as seasonal weather shifts bring cooler nighttime conditions to central Russia.
Previously, meteorologist Mikhail Leus reported that temperatures in Moscow Oblast will fall to between 3 and 8 degrees Celsius during upcoming nights.
Moscow Oblast is the administrative region surrounding the Russian capital city of Moscow, where autumn thermal drops routinely signal the transition toward winter weather patterns.
