Some Facts about Winter in Karelia

Russia is considered to be a northern country and so is associated with long and cold winters. From this point of view, Karelia situated on the territory that is usually called "Russian North" must be the land of extreme cold. I won't say that all isn't true, but there are some specific features of the usual weather here.

First of all, I'd like to note that there is no usual weather here, in Karelia. Even we, those people who live here are often surprised by local climate. Being located not far away from the Arctic Ocean we still do not feel enough its ice breath. The great "river" of Gulf Stream running along the Atlantic Ocean and turning round the Scandinavian peninsula is giving (or, at least is considered to be giving) our region large enough portions of extra warmth.
Temperatures lower than minus 10-15 degrees by Celsius (5-14 by Fahrenheit) in winter are not usual for our land. Minus 30 degrees by Celsius do happen here but not every winter. Minus 40 degrees happened only once or twice from the moment I was born, happened when I was small and I do not remember the details. My father says people made fire on the bus stops of our city to get warm. Well, that's enough about extremely low temperatures or I am feeling already it's going to happen this winter.

I should only add few in fact scientific words concerning this item, or otherwise I may be a little misunderstood. If you experience  -30 or -40 - any temperature lower the freezing point of water - somewhere far enough from the oceans and seas, e.g. if to speak about Russia somewhere in the middle of Syberia, you'll feel better. I mean you'll feel not so cold as here. Here in Karelia, almost surrounded by two seas and as it has been already said located not far from an ocean, the Arctic one, the air is usually rather damp. This circumstance makes everyone feel the temperature of -40 here like -50 or even -60 would feel there, in Syberia.
Notwithstanding this fact, the climate is rather mild here. I am not used to extreme temperatures, I am not a Syberian.