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Winter could be so much worse…. The coldest period of winter is still gripping a large portion of the world’s population as of mid-January. You probably despise winter and all that it entails as you slog through slush and snow, wearing four layers of clothing, while still felling the chill.
The coldest city in the world
But if you’re a fan of extreme weather, the icy Siberian city of Yakutsk, Russia, is probably right up your alley. Not only is it the coldest city in the world, with a record winter low of negative 84 degrees Fahrenheit, but its summers are so warm that the region buzzes with mosquitoes.
Welcome to Yakutsk
The coldest city in the world can be found (unsurprisingly) in Siberia. The Russian city of Yakutsk is not only the most frigid city in the world but also the least populated city also…. a coincidence? Probably not!
A city of over 300,000 people, Yakutsk is just 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle and becomes so cold in the winter that residents don’t wear eyeglasses outside because they freeze to the skin.
Many of the city’s houses and buildings are built on stilts buried deep into the ground, which ventilate their undersides and prevent them from melting the permafrost. Even water and gas lines are often above ground, snaking around the city.
In a cold snap
According to CNN, the inhabitants of Yakutsk are currently dealing with temperatures in the -50ºC range (-58ºF) as the region experiences a more frigid and longer-lasting than average cold snap.
-50ºC? No big deal
However, locals are well accustomed to this freezing weather and have previously experienced subzero temperatures well below -50ºC/-58ºF.
Now -60ºC, that’s a cold day
According to a BBC article from 2010, Yakutsk residents have experienced -60ºC/-76ºF, and some locals claim that temperatures have dropped even further.
Thermometers can’t register the temperature
However, they have no proof given that “the thermometer only reads down as far as -63 ºC [minus 81.4 ºF],” according to locals who spoke with the BBC.
A growing population
Even though Yakutsk is a city you might still think hardly anyone lives there, but that is not the case! According to the 2021 Russian census, 355,443 people call Yakutsk home.
A freezing capital
It is the capital city of the Sakha Republic, and the devilishly cold temperatures the city experiences aren’t surprising when you consider it is located just 450 km (280 mi) south of the Arctic Circle.
Why is Yakutsk so cold?
In addition, an article on Yakutsk published by Live Science points out that the topography of the area is a substantial contributing factor to the freezing temperatures that the city endures.
“Cold air lakes” make the weather more extreme
Jouni Räisänen, a senior lecturer at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at the University of Helsinki in Finland, told Live Science, “These places are in local valleys, surrounded by higher terrain. The consequence is that so-called ‘cold air lakes’ easily form under calm winter conditions.”
A rapidly growing city
Oddly despite being the least densely populated city in the world, according to Wikipedia, Yakutsk is now “one of Russia’s most rapidly growing regional cities.”
Why live in the coldest city on Earth?
This makes one wonder why people continue to live in such a harsh environment, or in the case of Yakutsk, why are more people moving there?
40% are native Yakuts
According to an article by The Independent, in 2008, native Yakuts made up 40% of the population.
Proud of their heritage and homeland
In the case of the native Yakuts, living in such harsh conditions is all they have ever known, and they are proud of the natural beauty of their home. But what draws the newcomers to the region?
Home to mega corporation Alrosa
The answer seems simple enough: job opportunities. The area is full of gold, diamonds, and coal and is home to Alrosa. Many residents work in the mines in the area. Pictured: an open cast gold mine east of Yakutsk.
Producing 20% of the world’s diamonds
According to The Independent, Alrosa owns Russia’s diamond monopoly, producing 20% of the world’s rough diamond supply.
Moving six time zones away from Moscow for work
It seems that Russians are willing to move six times zones away from Moscow and endure some of the harshest winters on the planet for the opportunity to land a well-paying gig.
Yakutsk is the coldest city but not the coldest place on Earth
Shockingly, even though Yakutsk is known as the coldest city on the planet, it is not the coldest place on Earth.
Oymyakon is the coldest place on Earth
According to National Geographic, that honor is held by a tiny rural village located 575 miles east of Yakutsk called Oymyakon.
-71.2ºC?!
In a 2012 documentary by the Australian television program ’60 Minutes,’ residents showed off a monument in the town square, which marks the coldest (unofficial) temperature the village ever experienced: -71.2ºC/-96.2ºF in January of 1924.
-20ºC doesn’t seem so bad now does it?
So, as you struggle through the winter, remember, it could always be so much worse, you could be in the coldest city or the coldest place on Earth in Siberia!
