Imagining a day, or two, or even a week without sunlight sends cold shivers down our spines.
At the time when we were finding it hard to combat the daily average temperatures of 12-15 degree celsius in December last year, Moscow didn’t receive sunlight even for 10 minutes in the whole month.
The last month of the year is not exactly the brightest time throughout Russia. But then too, Moscow manages to enjoy 18 hours of average sunlight in December every year.
But this time the winter was extraordinary. Things went dramatically worse as the sun came out from behind the clouds for just ‘six or seven minutes’ in the entire month.
Roman Vilfand, head of Russia’s meteorological center told the Moscow Times,
Anomalous warm temperatures — 5.8 degrees higher than average and cyclones caused clouds to block out the sun.
The statement seems to be shocking, but given the extreme cold conditions all over the Northern Hemisphere, global warming has already started showing its effects on weather, and this is surely one of them.
Temperatures as low as -67 degree celsius have been recorded in some parts of the country.
Last December has been the darkest month in the history of Moscow after the year 2000, when it received three hours of direct sunlight.
The future is indeed in darkness!