Much Of Russia Returned To Winter; Heavy Snow Hits Argentina A Month Early; Spain Chills; "Best May Powder Days In Memory" At Palisades; Cold Antarctic Coast; + X4.5-Flare

The COLD TIMES are returning...

Much Of Russia Returned To Winter

This isn't exaggeration, winter has returned to Russia, in May.

Freezes have struck Kaliningrad to Krasnoyarsk, and Murmansk to Krasnodar, while heavy snows have been observed from the northwest, through central regions, to the Volga, over the Urals, to Western and Central Siberia, and into the North Caucasus.

"Blizzards are raging in the Russian North, the Polar Urals, and northern Siberia," reports gismeteo.ru. "While in the middle latitudes, snow cover, rare for this time, has been restored."

The snow has been fiercest in and around the Urals where tens of thousands of people have lost power, in the Sverdlovsk region for one.

The water supply here has also been disrupted, according to local authorities.

Spring blizzards are raging across Russia.

Falling trees have snapped power lines, and cellular communications are also down.

Heavy snow fells trees in Sverdlovsk oblast, Russia's Ural region.

The disruptions have been widespread.

@Fobos563 on Youtube has compiled a handful of social media posts:

Speaking to the cold, the soil temperature in the Kushchevsky district of the Krasnodar Territory—for example—dropped to -2.4C (27.7F) on May 5. This is classified as 'dangerous' in May due to risk of frost damage to tender crops and budding fruits.

A frost warning was issued for May 5 and 6, recently extended to May 7. 

Freezes have also swept the Republic of Adygea, in the Stavropol Territory.

Headed west, Moscow has also been enduring freezing lows. Muscovites could also see a few settling flakes in the coming days. The cold is set to persist and all, with -3C (26.6F) forecast later in the week and wet snow. "Almost the entire week the temperature will be 10 degrees [C] below normal, [akin] to early April," reports hmn.ru.

Likewise in St. Petersburg, lows of -5C (23F) have been registered after Arctic air crashed south through the Kara and Barents seas and down through Scandinavia. Settling snow is also expected here by Wednesday.

Note: Scandinavia has endured brutal chills this winter and spring. Savukoski Tulppio has posted a -30C (-22F) reading every month from November to April. The last time -30C was measured for six consecutive months in Finland was 45 years ago, in Kittilä Pokka, in 1979.

Longer-range models see Russia's 'return to winter' persisting until at least May 20.

Spain Chills

Arctic air still isn't done with Europe, either.

The Jerez de la Frontera, in Spain has broken its minimum temperature record for the month of May.