Title: Heat waves in the European Russia at the beginning of the 21st century
Abstract: In the last decade the frequency of abnormally hot summer weather in the European part of Russia increased. Growth of summer temperatures is associated with increased frequency of heat waves caused by the advection of hot dry tropical air masses or transformation of temperate air masses due to their long-term stationing in the area. Such situations are caused by blockage of western disturbance in the European part of Russia. Heat waves cauce hazards such as droughts, fires, loss of crops, increased morbidity and mortality. The article provides an estimate of the change of the thermal loads on the population using the different characteristics of heat waves and temperature gradients. The main trends in the thermal loads on the population in European Russia in the last decade due to changes in the localization of the polar front in summer are shown.