We live and work in the province of Quebec in Canada, where the weather goes from 30 degrees during the summer to as low as -40 degrees during the winter. Most of us like a little snow, but we hate the deep colds that come during the holiday months. If you though that Quebec in the winter was cold, you haven’t seen anything yet! Grab a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a pair of toasty sheepskin slippers because here is the list of the coldest places on earth!
1. Coldest place on earth: Vostok , Antartica, 21 July 1983
-89.2 °C (-128.6 °F),
The coldest temperature ever measured on earth was at the Vostok station, in Antartica on July 1983. Home of the largest subglacial lakes in the world, it has been reported that the temperature once dropped to -91! The weather out there is also really dry and windy, not to mention the lack of oxygen due to the height. Since it is quite a harsh environment, it is also one of the loneliest places on earth; during winter there are only 13 people living there!
Little known fact about Vostok: The weather, pressure, and lack of oxygen are so strenuous on the body that you can lose up to 25 pounds simply by living there.
2. Coldest settlement: Oymyakon, Siberia, Russia (then in the Soviet Union), 26 January 1926
-71.2 °C (-96.16 °F)
One of the coldest permanently inhabited places on earth, Oymyakon is located in Siberia. Nick Middleton from National Geographic went there to film a tv series and talks about his experience, check it out: National Geographic. From dealing with the local diet consisting of reindeer and horsemeat to freezing diesel and dead batteries, the cold out there was something else!
Little known fact about Oymyakon: During the warmer months, it is not surprising the see buried coffins rise up since it’s nearly impossible to properly bury anyone in the frozen earth.
3. Coldest city: Verkhoyansk, Siberia, Russia (then in the Russian Empire), 7 February 1892
-67.8 °C (-90.0 °F)
Located close to Oymakon, Verkhoyansk is the coldest city on earth. It formerly was a place of political exile where rebels were sent as punishment. It now is the home of nearly 2000 people. Cold is a way of life over there. No need for a freezer; just dig a hole or put your food in your basement. But even with the discomfort, the locals still live there because it is peaceful and quiet.
Little known facts about Verkhosyansk: The cold and isolation take toll on the citizens of this city: the suicide rate is higher than in normal-weather cities and the local museum has a suicide note from Pavel T. Shvetsov on display to prove it.
4. North ice, Greenland, 9 January 1954
-66 °C (-87 °F)
Located in Greenland, North Ice is a research station that was built for the British North Greenland Expedition. Situated at 2345 meters above sea level, it is one of the coldest places on earth.
Little known fact about North Ice Station: Commander Jim Simpson led the expedition to North Greenland from 1952 to 1954 and died in 2002 at the age of 90.
5. Snag, Yukon, Canada, 3 February 1947
-63.0 °C (-81.4 °F),
Located in a small valley, this village was built during the big Klondike Gold Rush. Due to the intense cold, there are only a few villagers living there along with meteorologist and researchers. During the record-breaking cold, extreme phenomena’s were seen: iced fogs, water freezing before it hit the ground, etc.
Little known fact about Snag: The cold is so intense that it amplifies sounds in an extreme way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_Station
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF16/1630.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0512_040512_tvoymyakon.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E6D71538F930A3575AC0A962958260&n=Top/News/Science/Topics/Temperature