In the Irkutsk region, March and likely April will be slightly colder than the long term average, but without temperature anomalies or severe frosts. Precipitation this spring is expected to be below normal, though it is too early to say how this will affect floods. Specialists also note that river ice thickness is below normal and snow water reserves are above normal, so the situation will depend on March weather and rain.
As reported at a press conference by Azat Nasyrov, head of the Irkutsk Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, the average monthly temperature in March will be one degree below the long-term average.“The same can already be said about April,” he noted. “But that does not mean that we are in for any severe frosts. For now, we are saying that everything will be within the norm, and we do not expect any temperature anomalies”
According to the specialist, there will also be less precipitation this spring than in previous years, but it is still too early to say whether this will affect the scale of flooding in the region. It is also still unknown whether residents of flood-prone areas should expect an early river “breakup.”
Another ice crossing has been closed in the Kirensky District
“The thickness of the ice on the region’s rivers is 10 to 35 centimeters below normal, and the water reserves in the snow on the rivers are above normal,” Azat Nasyrov said. “At first glance, it seems that these conditions will contribute to a faster destruction of the ice cover, but everything will depend on the weather conditions in March and on the presence of rain.”