Weather conditions dynamics analysis in Lugansk region over the last 100 years

Recent decades are characterized by an intensive change in climatic characteristics in the world, which equally affects the main regions of Ukraine and Russia. The paper analyzes the dynamics of average monthly and average annual air temperatures and precipitation in the east of the steppe zone of Ukraine according to the data of the Lugansk agrometeorological station for two 50-year periods (1921–1970 and 1971–2020). For 1921–1970 the average annual air temperature and the average temperature for the warm (April – September) period of the year were at the level of the climatic norm, and the average amount of precipitation for the year decreased from the norm by 19.8 mm (4.6 %). For 1971–2020 the average annual air temperature increased from the norm by 0.98 °С (12.2 %) or by 0.20 °С/10 years, over the past 25 years (1996–2020) – by 1.57 °С (19, 5 %) at a growth rate of 0.63 °C/10 years. Average annual precipitation for 1971–2020 exceeded the norm by 63.8 mm (14.9 %), and for 1996–2020. – by 72.4 mm (17.0 %). Over the past 25 years, winter has warmed by 2.47 °C; spring – by 1.70; summer – by 1.20; autumn – by 0.97 °C. The amount of precipitation over the winter increased by 34.8 mm (45.2 %), over the spring months – by 20.2 mm (19.8 %), over the autumn – by 18.4 mm (18.6 %), and over summer – decreased by 1.3 mm (0.9 %). At the same time, the hydrothermal coefficient (HTC) decreased from 1.00 to 0.90, and in the summer months – from 0.88 to 0.75. Thus, in the Lugansk Region, over the past 25 years, the climate began to change most rapidly towards warming and aridity.