Russian Women Lament Warmest and Shortest Winter in 126 Years

For many beautiful Russian ladies, wearing a fur coat in the middle of a brutal winter is a rite of passage. This year has been one of the shortest and warmest winters on record for Russia which has left many fashion conscious women disappointed.

Not only that, but there was also a definite lack of snow. There was only 28 centimeter of the white stuff this winter. The average is 35 to 40 centimeters and it usually sticks around on the ground for up to 130 days, as opposed to the 50 days the snow lay on the ground this year.

The snow situation made for unhappy Russian girls and boys who are accustomed to sledding and skiing. Usually in Moscow the first snow falls in late October and covers the city by Nov. 20th. This year the first snowfall was one day before 2007, two months later than normal.

The temperatures were also above average for December and January. The meteorologists have called this a “thermal wave”, meaning 70 days of above freezing temperature in a row from Nov. 13th and running to Jan. 24th.

Not only Russian women and children were upset about the weather. The Levada Center took a poll in which 35 percent of the replies indicated that the warm weather affected their mood in a negative way, while 26 percent said that they felt positive about it.

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