Russia Forecast -60C (-76F) As Record Cold Intensifies; Munich Reports -18.1C (-0.6F); Heavy Snow Pounds Western U.S.; + Australia's Summer Chills

The Arctic has effectively descended into Russia (and Europe).

Russia Forecast -60C (-76F) As Record Cold Intensifies

The Arctic has effectively descended into Russia (and Europe) -- the featured image tells the story:

Temperature Anomalies (light pinks indicate anomalies some -30C below the seasonal average).

Extreme cold has set in across the majority of Russia's 17.1 million km² territory, making this the third consecutive year that the country has suffered a big early-December freeze: -61.1C (-78F) in Delyankir on Dec 8, 2021; and -61C (-77.8F) in Oymyakon on Dec 12, 2022.

In the vast region of Yakutia (3.1 million km²), half of the weather stations there reported sub -50C (-58F) readings on Monday.

The region of Yakutia (aka the Sakha Republic).

An early -58.7C (-73.7F) hit the city of Iema on Dec 5 -- the city's coldest December temperature in more than 40-years.