Climatic characteristics of winter seasons in the context of climate change (on the example of the Saratov region)

In the conditions of modern global climate warming, the analysis of its regional manifestations and impact on agriculture in order to adapt the agricultural sphere to them is becoming increasingly important. In recent years, the number of warm winters has been increasingly recorded, accompanied by an increase in winter temperatures, an increase in precipitation, but at the same time, a decrease in the depth of freezing of the soil cover. The article considers the analysis of long-term agrometeorological data, as well as the dynamics of changes in the characteristics of the winter season of the Saratov region for the period 1971-2021 due to the general trend of increasing global and regional air temperatures in recent decades. Studies have found out that the average air temperature of the winter season increased over the period from 2001 to 2021 compared with data for 1971 - 2000 by 1.0?C and began to be -7.1?C. For January and February, such an increase in air temperature reaches 1.1-0.9?C, respectively, for December – 0.5?C. The amount of winter precipitation increased by 9 mm. During the period from 2001 to 2021, the frequency of extremely warm winters increased by 2 times compared to the previous 30-year period of 1971-2000. In modern climatic conditions on the territory of the Saratov region, changes in the characteristics of the winter season are observed.