An Omsk Winter Begins

Омск Life People usually imagine Siberian winters as flouncing through chin-deep snow with Arctic gusts obliterating the landscape into a whiteout. But in Omsk the snowfall is usually light, and an entire winter&flurries create about knee-deep drifts that don&melt until late March. With 300 days of sunshine a year, the winters slide by quicker than you&think! The Christmas season that starts in late November, New Year&and then the Blessing of the Water Feast on the 19th of January all come and go quickly. Suddenly, you realize February is half over and spring is in the crosshairs.Winters are about 5 degrees or more colder than Moscow, and winters can certainly plunge down to a week or two of minus 30 degrees. But the minus 20 category is a norm.Today, on the 5th of November, I noticed that the Om and Irtysh have a glassy look as the water is starting to freeze. Soon the rivers will be covered white, and then in late April, the ice will finally float to the top and create a grand spectacle as it flows toward the Arctic.Winter is a unique season in Omsk, what with the hockey games, church festivals, an occasional cafe, and holiday decor. It&the time for winter photography and exploring history and art in the local museums or attending an occasional performance or theater.That blinding sunshine throughout most of the winter makes for a different kind of winter most northerners are used to.