Frosty shadow: regions have prepared for Baptism
In 2026, Russians will celebrate Epiphany with frosts. They arrived in Moscow two days earlier — on January 17, and on the holiday itself, on the contrary, a slight warming is expected. In Siberia, there is a significant cooling — the temperature there is 20 degrees below the climatic norm. In the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in Khakassia, Tuva, it is expected to reach -50 degrees. Baptismal fonts have been prepared in many regions, but some of them have decided to abandon bathing. For example, Kamchatka, where the effects of the cyclone are being eliminated. About how Russia has prepared for Epiphany bathing is in the material of Izvestia.
Where swimming was canceled
On the night of January 18-19, Orthodox believers will celebrate one of the main Christian holidays — the Epiphany of the Lord. This day commemorates an important biblical event — the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Traditionally, by January 19th, all regions of the country set up special swimming grounds.
So, this time, 206 specially prepared fonts will operate in the Moscow region, the local department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations said. In Moscow, Rospotrebnadzor approved only 40 fonts.
"A total of 106 water samples (836 studies) were taken. Of the 43 fonts, water quality studies were conducted in 42 fonts, according to the results of the studies, the water quality meets hygienic standards in 40 fonts," the department said.
17 places will be installed in St. Petersburg, and 16 in the Leningrad region. Anti-slip decking, handrails, and heating points will be placed on all sites.
In Bashkiria, 98 fonts are planned to be opened in 57 municipalities. However, due to the weather conditions, three locations had to be closed, said Kirill Pervov, chairman of the State Emergency Committee. All of them are located in the Meleuzovsky district of the republic. 108 places have been prepared in Tatarstan. At least 50 venues will be organized in the Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Irkutsk, Ulyanovsk, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod regions, as well as seven other regions.
More than 20 bathing spots are planned in more than 30 regions. In Vladivostok, two sea fonts will be equipped for Epiphany. Medics and rescuers will be on duty during the traditional ablution of the faithful.
21 baptismal fonts are being installed in the Arkhangelsk region, but no official bathing is planned in Arkhangelsk and Novodvinsk. In the Bryansk region, it will be possible to plunge into the water in 45 places. However, this number may change depending on weather conditions and the operational situation. The situation is similar in the Belgorod region, where 75 bathing spots were equipped, canceling the event in the Grayvoronsky and Valuysky districts.
There will be 45 baptismal fonts in the Bryansk region, but not in the capital of the region. In the Kursk region, the event will also be held in a limited format, but 29 fonts will still be open. The authorities of the Magadan region considered that the thickness of the ice cover was insufficient to comply with safety regulations, so only two sites were being equipped there. In Tuva, for this reason, they completely abandoned bathing.
In the Tuapse municipal district, it was decided to cancel Epiphany bathing in the sea and rivers. In 2026, traditional organized ablution sites in open reservoirs will not be equipped, the municipal administration reported. They clarified that during the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, a storm is forecast in the marine area, and a rise in water levels is expected on the rivers. Believers will be able to perform epiphany ablutions exclusively on the territories of Orthodox churches.
Several fonts will not work in the Volgograd region either. Local authorities explained this decision by the inability to equip a place for Epiphany bathing and the high level of danger of people going out on the ice.
Epiphany bathing, which was planned to be held on the night of January 19, was canceled in Kamchatka. The decision was made due to difficult weather conditions and the ongoing elimination of the consequences of a powerful cyclone, the Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka diocese reported.
Medical personnel and employees of the fire and rescue garrison of the capital will be on duty on the ground. Bathing areas will be equipped with wooden decking and anti-slip slopes, handrails, and rescue equipment will be placed everywhere.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations reminded that swimming in unequipped places is prohibited and life-threatening.
Epiphany weather in Moscow
Epiphany frosts in the capital region will fall on January 17-18, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, a leading specialist at the Meteonosti news agency, told Izvestia.
On the night of January 17 and 18, it was up to -22 degrees in Moscow, and up to -25 degrees in the region, the meteorologist said. The daytime temperature was the lowest on the 17th: up to -17 in Moscow and -20 in the Moscow region.
— The wind is weak, so the frost is easier to bear than if the weather was even a little windy, — said Tatiana Pozdnyakova.
At the same time, a heat island formed in the center of the capital, so on the night of January 18 it was up to -15 degrees there, Roman Vilfand, scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, told Izvestia. And in the districts of the Moscow region, the thermometer dropped to -27 degrees.
— The pressure was very high, there is a slight cloud cover at high pressure, which determines the cooling of the surface. Clouds are a blanket for the earth. If there are clouds, then there is no infrared radiation and the earth does not cool down. If the clouds are thin or few in number, intensive cooling of the soil occurs and, naturally, supercooling of the surface air layer. This was observed on Saturday and Sunday," the meteorologist said.
On Sunday, January 18, the frost will weaken in the afternoon — it will be up to -12 in Moscow, but this is nine degrees below the climatic norm, explained Tatiana Pozdnyakova.
— On Epiphany day, the weather is expected to be cloudy with no significant precipitation, the frost will ease at night, and the temperature will be the same as on the afternoon of the 18th.: in Moscow -10...-12, in the region -10...-15, — said Tatiana Pozdnyakova. — Daytime temperature in the city is -6...-8, in the region — up to -11 degrees. For now, the temperature will be about two or three degrees below normal. In the following days, the weather will be more cloudy, a small snowfall is possible in some places, and further temperature increases will continue.
On Monday, January 19, due to the fact that cyclonic activity from the Northwestern Federal District will push back the anticyclone, the temperature in the capital will rise, Roman Vilfand explained.
According to the meteorologist, on Tuesday, January 20, the temperature will continue to rise, and in the second half of the week it will begin to drop sharply to -20...-25 degrees due to the effect of the anticyclone.
Abnormal frosts in Siberia
Temperatures are expected to drop to -40 degrees in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Barnaul and Krasnoyarsk, Alexander Shuvalov, head of the Meteo forecasting center, told Izvestia.
— This is a temperature 16-20 degrees below normal, — said the meteorologist.
There will also be frosts of up to -10 degrees in the Krasnodar Territory on Epiphany night, Alexander Shuvalov noted. The temperature will also be 5-10 degrees below normal in Komi and the Pskov region, Roman Vilfand noted. In the Kaliningrad region, the temperature will drop to -16 degrees.
— As the anticyclone is shifting southward towards Epiphany, the lowest temperatures will be predicted not in the northern half of the Central Federal District, but in the southern half: in the Kaluga, Bryansk, Kursk, Voronezh, and Belgorod regions, the temperature will be around 20. And in the Tambov region — up to -27 on the night of Epiphany, — said Roman Vilfand.
The Krasnodar Territory and Crimea will have low night temperatures for these regions. As cold and warm air masses collide in the south, precipitation in the form of rain and snow will also fall there, the wind will increase to 25 m/s, and on the coast — up to 30 m/s.
According to Roman Vilfand, the thermometer will drop to -25 degrees in the Volgograd region. In the north of the Urals, in the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs, the temperature will be 6-11 degrees below normal — from -32 to -39 degrees.
— The coldest weather is forecast in the south of Siberia: Omsk, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo regions, Altai Territory, south of Krasnoyarsk Territory, Khakassia, Tyva — temperatures are 16-20 degrees below normal. This means that the temperature background there is predicted at -38...-46 degrees. In the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in Khakassia, Tuva — up to -50. It's very cold in the Irkutsk region," the meteorologist said.
At the same time, Yakutia predicts relatively warm weather for the region: in Yakutsk it will be only -35 degrees at night and -30 degrees during the day. This temperature is 7-10 degrees above normal, said Roman Vilfand.
The consequences of dipping into the ice hole
A person who decided to plunge into the ice hole at Epiphany runs the risk of hypothermia, which can lead to runny nose, chills and pneumonia, internist Andrei Kondrakhin told Izvestia.
— When a person is warm, dressed in warm clothes, and then undresses and sinks into the ice hole, the vessels do not have time to contract quickly, — he explained. — Body temperature does not drop much, but it is enough for the human immune system, it weakens.
In addition, when a person enters the water during epiphany bathing, an involuntary delay in breathing may occur — a spasm of the diaphragm, the doctor said. This can lead, among other things, to loss of consciousness. Also, those who plunge into the ice hole may experience seizures, the doctor noted.
— It is better to plunge where there is a ladder, and at the bottom there is a clear, absolutely understandable bottom. A specially prepared ladder will help you not to stumble and get bogged down in the mud," Andrei Kondrakhin advised. — Calmly enter, dive in and quickly exit, immediately putting on warm clothes.
After bathing, you should drink hot broth, herbal tea or mors, the specialist added. All people who do not understand what walrus is should approach such experiments with caution, the doctor emphasized. Children under one year of age, the elderly, and people with illnesses are also at special risk.
It is dangerous to enter the ice hole if the water temperature is below +5 degrees — this is a zone of extreme cold shock for an unprepared person, said Dmitry Karpenko, associate professor at the Department of Polyclinic Therapy at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at Pirogov University. It is also dangerous to swim if the air temperature is below -10 degrees, especially if there is a strong wind, and with an air–water temperature difference of more than 20 degrees, this is the maximum load on the vessels.
Cardiologist Yuri Serebryansky added that a person who has been tempered at home and in the pool will better tolerate dipping into the ice hole.
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