THE WEATHER IN THE URALS The naughtiest thing in the world is the weather. It is like a capricious woman who always does the opposite to what you ask her. The year is divided into four seasons: autumn, winter, spring & summer. The Urals has a variable climate. The weather changes so frequently that it is difficult to forecast. It is not unusual for people to complain that the weathermen were wrong. Spring is the season when nature awakens from its long winter sleep, the temperature grows milder, the snow melts the ground gets covered with fresh green grass. The buds burst into leaves. Everything begins to blossom & you can see the first spring flowers – snowdrops. Of course, it is also cold in spring. The sky is overcast, the strong wind blows & it rains. The temperature rises above +200C or may fall below +100C. If the shower comes down, it soon clears up & stops raining & you can see a rainbow in the sky, you can also hear a clap of thunder & see a flash of lightning. Summer is the hottest season. The sunrays become hot, the days are long, the nights are short & warm. There are long periods without any rain, the sky is cloudless. After rains with thunderstorm everything looks green, refreshed & bright. In summer we may pick up berries or gather mushrooms & flowers. We can also listen to the songs of birds, buzzing of insects, swim & get sunburn. In summer, we eat many fruit. As the Urals has a variable climate the summer can be not very warm with rains that is why many people go to the South in summer. As for autumn, it’s the season of winds & beautiful sunsets. The days become shorter, the sunrays loose their glittering force. The birds have flown away to the warm countries. The leaves turn yellow & reddish & fall to the ground. A spell of sunny weather in September is called Indian Summer or “Golden Autumn”. Late autumn is generally an unpleasant season. The trees look bare. The sky is overcast with low clouds. The streets are covered with slush, everything looks gloomy. The temperature falls below 00C. It’s pouring with rain. Autumn is a season of reach harvest, of fresh fruit & vegetables. Winter is the season of snow. The ground & the roofs on the houses are thick with snow. It’s the season of snowstorms, ice, frozen rivers & slippery streets. The sun shines rarely, its rays are pale, it sets early & rises late. The sky is grey. In the morning there is hoarfrost on the trees & icicles hang from the roofs of the houses. The days are frosty. The temperature falls below (rises above) –250C. Sometimes you can see a wonderful tracery on your windows. In winter we may skating, skiing. Children make snowmen & play snowballs. Every season of the year is beautiful & pleasant in its own way. As Pushkin said: “ There is really no such thing as bad weather – only different kinds of good weather”.