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2013 warmest year in Russia in decade

MOSCOW, January 13. /ITAR-TASS/. Last year 2013 was the warmest and dampest in the history of weather observations, Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Director Roman Vilfand said on Monday, January 13.

“As we expected, 2013 was the sixth warmest year and was point two degrees warmer than 2012, but still much less so than 2007, the warmest year in Russia,” he said.

What makes last year distinct is that temperatures across the country were above normal levels, Vilfand said.

Precipitation rates were also quite high last year, especially in the Russian Far East, where they were 50 percent above regular levels. “The amount of rainfall in Moscow was 30 percent higher at 791 mm - the absolute annual maximum,” Vilfand said.

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