Retrospective assessment of weather conditions in the cities of Petropavlovsk and Karaganda over an 11-year period (2010-2020)

Abstract

The effects of weather conditions beyond certain thresholds have both direct and indirect effects on the human body. Direct consequences include increased mortality, morbidity and injuries caused by extreme weather events. The lack of information on broader aspects, including the role of some modifier effects, in particular, the interaction between air pollution and weather requires in-depth study. In this study, a comparative analysis of the weather over an 11-year period (2010-2020) in the cities of Petropavlovsk and Karaganda was carried out. Weather indicators were used according to the information bulletin on the state of the environment of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the weather archives in Karaganda and Petropavlovsk on the weather website. Air temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, dew point were analyzed. Along with this, the Bodman method was used for the bioclimatic assessment of the cold period, which made it possible to determine the severity of the weather in points. The analysis of the severity of the weather according to Bodman in the studied cities indicates that Petropavlovsk has a more severe winter. The assessment of heat sensations by the wind-cold index of the Saipl in the studied regions showed that heat sensations can be regarded as “cold” all winter months. The equivalent-effective temperature (EET) was calculated, which is a complex indicator of human heat sensations and is formed under the influence of three meteorological factors: air temperature, air humidity and wind speed. Based on the EET, it was concluded that the weather in cities was characterized by significant discomfort in terms of EET.