Aren't you worried about the weather? I've been getting that question a lot from people when I tell that that I will be living and working in Moscow for a year. The Russian (or Soviet) Winter is a common name of winter in Russia. It generally lasts for 5 months, from November till the end of March (but watch out for October!), and is known for its low temperatures and transportation difficulties, and also because of its role in military events on Russian territory. Common nicknames for the notion are General Winter and General Snow. Yet another one was "General Mud." I guess we can ask Napolean and Hitler about that one.
The average and minimal temperatures in Russian regions differ. In Yakutia (in Siberia) the winter is most severe, with the lowest temperature around –55 to –60 °C (around –70 °F). In the European regions of Russia (west to Ural mountains) the winter is more European-like, with average temperature rarely falling lower than –15 °C (5 degrees F); however, sometimes it is much colder: for example, the winter 2005/2006 showed temperature around –25 to –30 °C (-13 to -22 F) in Moscow in January, during the whole month. In Russia this period of the year is called the Epiphany frosts and has been known for its low temperatures for centuries. One of the factors for these temperatures is the climate, that is continental. The other factor is Russia's geography: it is as northerly as Canada, but with little open water inside to store the sun's energy. For example, in the Altai region (in central Asia) in August the day temperature is higher than 20 °C (68 degrees F), but at night it can fall down to 0 to 5 °C (32 to 41 degrees F).
From the sounds of it, winter in Russia sounds a bit like Northern Michigan, where I grew up. When I described winter in my hometown of Manton (which gets hit hard with lake effect snows and winds off of Lake Michigan) to Russian acquaintances, they nod their heads with approval and view me as a kindred spirit. Problem is, I've been living Washington, D.C. for the last six years and my blood has thinned quite a bit -- I'm accustomed to very mild winters now. I'll need to break out the winter clothes and reach back to my formative years in Michigan.
