Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan should be ready for some frosty and snowy days, although this winter is expected to be soft in the country, forecasters warned.

According to the climatic characteristics of winter in the country, usually January and February in Azerbaijan is increasingly exposed to cold Arctic air.

That’s why forecasters have issued warnings to prepare for sub-zero temperatures in the middle and end of the winter season across entire Azerbaijan.

Despite the fact that the forecasts predicted moderate weather in December, the country's territory can be exposed to cold air masses in some days.

So, the average monthly temperature in Absheron peninsula will be 7-10 degrees, dropping to 0-3 degrees in some cases.

Moreover, forecasts predicted no snow in store for Baku in December, therefore, skiers and other snow enthusiasts need to wait for snow in the other winter months.

In general, this winter is expected to be relatively mild in the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan. The temperature will be within the climatic norm, exceeding it only in some places.

Earlier, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported this winter is expected to be the harshest one in the planet of the past ten years.

The scientists confirmed that “Super El Niño,” regarded as one of the most powerful since 1997–1998, will show itself again this year.

However, the head of the National Center for Ecological Forecasting, Telman Zeynalov, believes that such information frightens people and believes that the forecast will not hold.

For many years the observations show that winters in the country are not very harsh, and the temperature does not exceed the mark of 15-20 C below zero, he explained.

The ecologist also predicted that this year's winter will be cold but not severe. “In some days, the temperature will drop to 15-17 C below zero and will last a week. Then, the temperature is expected to increase for a while, and after cold snap to return to normal,” Zeynalov added.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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