What Are the Coldest Places on Earth?
The Earth has some incredibly cold spots. From Antarctica to the Arctic, extreme temperatures can plunge to bone-chilling levels. But what is the lowest temperature ever recorded, and where is it found? Which cities or inhabited areas are the coldest on the planet?
Generally, the average temperature on Earth ranges from minus 25 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius. This is quite low compared to Mercury, where daytime temperatures can soar to 430 degrees Celsius, only to drop dramatically to minus 180 degrees Celsius at night.
However, Earth also has its extremes. Below are some of the coldest temperatures ever recorded on our planet.
Where Is the Coldest Place on Earth?
East Antarctic Plateau – minus 98 degrees Celsius.
On a frozen plateau in East Antarctica, temperatures can drop as low as minus 98 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest place on Earth.
Researchers discovered this by reanalyzing satellite data obtained from a mountain slope in Antarctica that had previously reached minus 93 degrees Celsius. Their new analysis, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, revealed that the temperature can actually drop even lower.
They found that the factors contributing to this extreme cold were clear skies and extremely dry air (since clouds and humidity can trap heat in the atmosphere). Both conditions must persist for several days for temperatures to reach minus 98 degrees Celsius.
Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, who initiated the study, stated that this seems to be the limit of how cold it can get on the surface of Earth.
What Was the Previous Lowest Recorded Temperature?
Vostok Station, Antarctica – minus 89.2 degrees Celsius
Vostok Station is located 1,301 km from the South Pole.
Before the record low temperature of the East Antarctic Plateau was established on August 10, 2010, Vostok Station, located 1,301 km from the South Pole, held the world record for the coldest temperature. During a 10-day period in the Southern Hemisphere summer, precisely on July 21, 1983, weather data recorded a temperature of minus 89.2 degrees Celsius.
Perfect climate conditions were necessary for this temperature to be achieved. In 2009, researchers found that a cold air mass prevented relatively warm air from the ocean from moving in, trapping the station in a vortex of icy air. The skies were also clear, which can help retain heat.
In a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, researchers noted that with the right conditions, temperatures at Vostok Station could be even colder, with a potential record low of minus 96 degrees Celsius.
Where Is the Coldest Inhabited Place?
Oymyakon, Russia – minus 71.2 degrees Celsius
The village of Oymyakon in eastern Siberia is known as the coldest inhabited place on Earth. Its name translates to “water that does not freeze” due to a nearby hot spring. The village was originally a destination for reindeer herders who would bring their livestock to the spring for water.
The average winter temperature in Oymyakon reaches minus 50 degrees Celsius. The coldest day on record was in 1924 when temperatures dropped to minus 71.2 degrees Celsius.
What Is the Lowest Recorded Temperature in the Northern Hemisphere?
Klinck Weather Station, Greenland – minus 69.6 degrees Celsius
In the middle of Greenland, a solitary weather station recorded the lowest temperature ever in the Northern Hemisphere on December 22, 1991. On that day, the temperature at Klinck Weather Station fell to minus 69.6 degrees Celsius.
Klinck Weather Station is located at an elevation of 3,105 meters, near the highest point of Mount Gunnbjorn in Greenland. Researchers working for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) discovered the record low temperature in 2007 while reviewing 30 years of meteorological data archives. The WMO researchers announced their findings in September 2020 in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.
This discovery broke the previous record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. Before Klinck, the record low temperature was minus 67.8 degrees Celsius, recorded in Verkhoyansk in February 1892 and Oymyakon in January 1933. Both locations are in Russia.
What Is the Coldest City in the World?
Yakutsk, Russia – minus 80 F (minus 62.2 degrees Celsius)
Yakutsk is also the largest city built on permafrost.
Among the coldest cities in the world, Yakutsk holds the record. On January 18, 2023, the Siberian city broke records when temperatures dropped to minus 62.2 degrees Celsius.
Located just 450 km south of the Arctic Circle, Yakutsk is also the largest city built on permafrost. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Yakutsk was set on February 25, 1891, when it reached a low of minus 64.4 degrees Celsius.
The city, with a population of 250,000, lies on the western bank of the Lena River, at an elevation of 95 meters above sea level. According to Russian meteorological experts, it is shrouded in fog during winter due to being compressed by frost. The fog forms because, in cold conditions, heat from people, cars, and buildings cannot rise.
Extreme Cold and Climate Change
Scientists study extreme temperatures to gain a better understanding of the entire Earth system. In particular, extremely cold temperatures can help scientists understand how the climate is currently trending towards warmer temperatures overall.
Howard Diamond, a climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S., said: “I believe we have much to learn about climate change from these extremely cold locations.”
Specifically, knowing how cold the Earth can get allows scientists to monitor unusual warm periods. Diamond noted: “The fact that some areas record these cold temperatures does not eliminate the reality that climate change is ongoing and the planet continues to warm.”
