"Siberian explosion" threatens Europe

At the end of January, Europe will face a large-scale cold snap due to the so-called “Siberian explosion,” which will lead to increased demand for heating buildings and a reduction in regional gas supplies, Bloomberg writes . According to the agency, record low temperatures are also expected in China and Japan.

A powerful surge of icy Arctic air is reported to hit Asia next week. According to the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the cold will first come to Northeast China, then spread to the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and then move south to the central and eastern regions of China. Forecasters say the cold is caused by low pressure in the upper atmosphere.

According to Takahisa Nishikawa, a senior meteorologist at the Japanese company Atmospheric G2, air temperatures throughout China and Korea could drop more than 10°C below normal. “Late January and February are likely to remain colder than normal, which portends rising heating demand across East Asia,” he said.

Winter in East Asia has been fairly mild so far. China's average temperature last month was 1.8C above historical norm, making December the second warmest on record, according to the country's National Climate Center. In Japan, as noted, temperatures close to or slightly above normal were also observed.

According to Nishikawa, the upcoming cold wave “is distinguished by the intensity of the cold air and the scale of its spread.” If current forecasts are confirmed, January could be East Asia's coldest in five years, he added.

Bloomberg writes that a powerful surge of icy Arctic air will likely lead to increased heating demand in key energy markets.

According to forecasts, a strong influx of icy air from Siberia will cover Europe towards the end of the month. The frost is expected to primarily affect Eastern Europe. Thus, on January 24, the average temperature in Estonia and Latvia will drop to -13°C, which is more than 9 degrees below the climate norm. It is noted that as cold air moves west, temperatures in Poland could drop to -10°C and in Germany to -3°C, which is significantly lower than the average values ​​in these countries.