Changes in Climatic Parameters and Moistening Conditions on the South of the East European Plain

Analysis of regional changes in climatic parameters and moistening conditions is a necessary task for obtaining objective data on changes in landscapes. The article analyzes long-term changes in a complex of climatic variables on the south of the Central Russian Upland of the East European Plain in the last decades of the 20th century–the first decades of the 21st century. Opposite trends were identified for heat and moisture supply characteristics. The annual average temperature increased by 2.1 °C between 1980 and 2020. During this same time, the absolute values of the temperature of the warmest and coldest quarters, accumulated temperature over the period with values above 10 °C, increased significantly. The annual average temperature, the average temperature of the warmest and coldest quarters showed a positive, statistically significant trend. Precipitation characteristics, compared with temperatures, showed less pronounced trends during the study period. Annual precipitation and precipitation during the warmest quarter showed a weak negative trend. Precipitation of the coldest quarter showed an increasing trend. Contrasting changes in temperature and precipitation characteristics led to a decrease in moistening indicators during the warm season. The hydrothermal coefficient decreased by more than 18%, and the drought index increased by approximately the same amount. Spatial changes in most climatic parameters are associated with a shift in isolines to the north or northwest. The range of variations in climatic parameters across the region did not undergo significant changes.