Geography of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a
The area of the city of
The federal subject and city of Saint Petersburg is situated on the middle taiga lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, along the shores of the lower reaches of the River Neva itself and on the numerous islands of the river delta.
To the north of the city lies the
The elevation of Saint Petersburg ranges from the sea level to its highest point of 175.9 m (577 ft) at the Orehovaya hill in the Duderhof Heights in the south. However, the historical city center (except the area between Liteyny Prospekt and Smolnaya Embankment) is situated lower than 4 metres (13 ft) above sea level and has suffered from flooding about 300 times in its history. Floods in Saint Petersburg are triggered by long waves in the Baltic Sea, developing regularly under some meteorological conditions and amplified by favorable winds and by the shallowness of the Neva Bay. The most disastrous floods occurred in 1824 (4.21 m, 13 ft 10 in above sea level[1]), 1924 (3.80 m, 12 ft 6 in), 1777 (3.21 m, 10 ft 6 in), 1955 (2.93 m, 9 ft 7 in) and 1975 (2.81 m, 9 ft 3 in). The Saint Petersburg Dam, built to prevent floods, was completed in August 2011 after a lengthy period of construction beginning in 1979.[2]
Since the 18th century the terrain in the city centre has been steadily raised artificially, at some places by more than 4 metres (13 ft). The hydrology of the city center and the number of islands have also changed dramatically.
Besides the Neva and its distributaries, other important rivers of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg include:
- the Sestra
- the Okhta
- the Izhora
The largest lake is Sestroretsky Razliv in the north, outside of the limits of Saint Petersburg proper. Lakhtinsky Razliv and Suzdal Lakes are smaller lakes within the northern limits of the city.
St. Petersburg's position on a latitude of about 60° N, less than seven degrees to the south of the
Islands
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2016) |
Other islands include:
- Aptekarsky Island
- Artillery Island
- Kanonersky Island
- New Holland Island
- Spassky Island, between the Moika, Griboyedov and Kryukov canals
- Zayachy Island (Hare Island), the site of the Peter and Paul Fortress
Climate
The highest temperatures of July and August were reached in 2010.
Average annual
Climate data for Saint Petersburg (1991–2020; extremes 1743–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
15.3 (59.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
33.0 (91.4) |
35.9 (96.6) |
35.3 (95.5) |
37.1 (98.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
37.1 (98.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.5 (27.5) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
9.5 (49.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
8.7 (47.7) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
9.6 (49.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.8 (23.4) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
5.2 (41.4) |
11.5 (52.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.4 (63.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
6.3 (43.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.2 (19.0) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
1.7 (35.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.3 (59.5) |
13.9 (57.0) |
9.4 (48.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | −35.9 (−32.6) |
−35.2 (−31.4) |
−29.9 (−21.8) |
−21.8 (−7.2) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
0.1 (32.2) |
4.9 (40.8) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−12.9 (8.8) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−34.4 (−29.9) |
−35.9 (−32.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 46 (1.8) |
36 (1.4) |
36 (1.4) |
37 (1.5) |
47 (1.9) |
69 (2.7) |
84 (3.3) |
87 (3.4) |
57 (2.2) |
64 (2.5) |
56 (2.2) |
51 (2.0) |
670 (26.4) |
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 15 (5.9) |
19 (7.5) |
14 (5.5) |
1 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1.2) |
9 (3.5) |
19 (7.5) |
Average rainy days | 9 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 173 |
Average snowy days | 25 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 5 | 16 | 23 | 117 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
86 | 84 | 79 | 69 | 65 | 69 | 71 | 76 | 80 | 83 | 86 | 87 | 78 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 22 | 54 | 125 | 180 | 260 | 276 | 267 | 213 | 129 | 70 | 27 | 13 | 1,636 |
Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net[4] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA (sun 1961–1990)[5]
|
See also
References
- ^
The level of flooding is usually measured at a point near Saint Petersburg Mining Institute, which is normally 11 cm (4 in) above sea level.
- ^ Нежиховский Р. А. Река Нева и Невская губа, Leningrad: Гидрометеоиздат, 1981.
- ^ See Historical weather records for Saint Petersburg (since 1932) and Historical weather in Saint Petersburg for further information.
- ^ "Pogoda.ru.net" (in Russian). Weather and Climate (Погода и климат). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Leningrad/Pulkovo Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
Further reading
- Jones, P. D. & D. H. Lister (2002). The Daily Temperature Record for St. Petersburg (1743–1996). Climatic Change 53 (1-3), 253–267.
- Sunset and Sunrise in St. Petersburg during the months of May, June, July, August, September .