Number of natural hazards rising in Russia - environmental monitoring service chief

MOSCOW. Dec 21 (Interfax) - The number of hazardous natural phenomena annually registered in Russia has practically doubled since the 1990s, and 452 of them have been recorded this year, head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Igor Shumakov said.

"We bear witness to the continuous growth of hazardous natural phenomena that harm the Russian economy and citizens. There were 200-250 phenomena of the kind per year in the 1990s-2000s, but now we record 300-400 each year, and as many as 425 dangerous phenomena were registered over the first eleven months of this year," Shumakov said at a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

At the same time, Shumakov noted the increasing reliability of forecasts, which stands at 96.7% for short-term forecasts and 96% for storm warnings. The number of dangerous phenomena warnings is also rising, he said. For instance, Typhoon Khanun, which hit the Primorye Territory and caused severe floods in August 2023, was predicted six days in advance.