Forecasters say spring in Russia will have to wait
March has already arrived, but winter seems to have decided to stick around. So much snow has fallen that entire snowdrifts are growing in courtyards, utility workers can only sigh heavily, and drivers struggle every day to figure out how to get out of their driveways. At this point, many people are asking the same question that is being actively searched online: when will spring arrive in 2026? After all, we’re already tired of the frosts, which are especially severe in February for explainable reasons.
When Will Spring Arrive in Russia
Meteorologists have already answered the main question of March. Spring will come, but it won’t happen quickly. According to forecasters, residents of Central Russia will have to wait a bit, because sustained warming will begin later than usual. In short, temperatures in March will become consistently above zero only after the 21st.
Why Spring Is Delayed in 2026
In 2025, we eagerly awaited the first snow. And we got it. This winter, Central Russia received a record amount of precipitation, and now it’s the snow itself that is preventing the arrival of warmth.
Forecaster Mikhail Semenov explained the situation. According to him, the enormous snowdrifts cool the air on their own — snow sparkles and reflects sunlight. Because of this, the ground warms up much more slowly.
It creates a kind of vicious circle: for the snow to melt, warmth is needed. But for it to get warm, the snow must disappear.
Until the snowdrifts completely turn into puddles, sustained warmth is hard to expect. Therefore, spring will arrive gradually, in small steps.
Spring in Russia will bring especially large puddles
When Will Snow Melt in Russia
Usually, meteorological spring in Russia begins around mid-March. But this year, the timeline has shifted.
According to forecasters, a sustained transition of temperatures above zero will occur in the third decade of March, approximately after March 21.
What this means in practice:
- daytime temperatures will begin to consistently stay around +6 degrees;
- by the end of March, warming up to +8 degrees is possible;
- snow will begin to melt actively.
Until that moment, weather in March 2026 will be typical:
- slight above-zero temperatures during the day;
- below zero again at night;
- snow partially melts and freezes again.
This is exactly why it feels like spring just won’t begin.
What Is Meteorological Spring
Many people confuse calendar spring and meteorological spring, so this point needs clarification.
Meteorological spring is the moment when the average daily temperature consistently rises above zero.
Two conditions are important:
- above-zero temperatures hold both during the day and at night;
- this continues for several consecutive days.
In normal years, this transition occurs in mid-March. This time, it is expected approximately one week later.
