Stop-Motion Murmansk

Murmansk is an interesting place.

It’s an ice-free port in a cold place. Murmansk is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle. It is the last city founded by the Russian Empire, made to accept ships filled with Great War supplies, then to make their way by rail to Russia proper. One world war later, the Soviets successfully defended it from attack from the Nazis, and Murmansk continued as the USSR’s link by convoy to the Atlantic west. Then it was a Cold War submarine base. When I think Murmansk, I think “cold.”

But wait a minute. Murmansk isn’t much colder than where I live in western Maine. Average daily lows in Murmansk in January and February are slightly warmer than here, and their record low for January of -38.9F is less than 3 degrees colder than ours. February and March lows are only about 3 degrees colder, too. Their daily highs are about 10 degrees lower on average, year round, than ours, though. All the loons around here turn on their ceiling fans if the temperature hits seventy, so maybe they’d like Murmansk better.

Holy cow, I’m comparing my local climate to Murmansk. I may have moved too far north.