If 2020 ends up as a new record warm year, and it might, then a significant component of that will have been the incredibly warm start of the year that has just occurred in Asia.

1/

January to April, Russia averaged nearly +6.0 °C (+11 °F) above historical norms. That's one hell of a "mild winter".

That's not only a new record anomaly for Russia. That's the largest January to April anomaly ever seen in any country's national average.

2/

In what may be a sign of worse to come later this year, the exceptionally warm winter has been followed by unusually large early season wildfires in Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/wildfires-ravaged-siberia-last-year-this-spring-the-blazes-are-starting-even-bigger/2020/05/15/c00bdb50-9446-11ea-87a3-22d324235636_story.html

3/

In Moscow, this was the "year without winter", as warm winter temperatures shattered century-long records and snow was much rarer than normal.

https://earther.gizmodo.com/moscow-didnt-get-a-winter-this-year-1842032172

4/

Climate change is no longer a distant threat, but is already bringing about a new reality for many.

5/5