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A few days ago, I woke to find my pipes frozen. The outdoor temperature was in the single digits, and the house temperature hovered in the 50s all day. The next day was warmer, but an ice storm soon followed. I made myself feel better by looking up the coldest places in the world.
International Falls
International Falls, Minnesota is known as the coldest spot in the lower 48 states. The town of almost 7,000 people has an average temperature of 36.4 °F (2 °C). The average low for December, January, and February is below zero. The local Icebox Days festival features snowmobile racing, snow sculptures, bowling with frozen turkeys, and the “Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run.” Fraser, Colorado also claims the title of “Icebox of the Nation”. The two towns have disputed each other’s claims for years. It’s a matter for the courts even now.
Umiat
Umiat, Alaska is the coldest place in the United States, with an average temperature of 10.1°F. That beats Barrow easily. Considering that Umiat can reach the 70s in the summertime, you know the winters are bonechilling. However, the population hovers around five people with no permanent residents. You can follow weather conditions at Umiat Air Field online.
But those are warm, compared to other places on earth.
Snag
This picture of Jim Brader shows what it’s like to be a meteorologist in Alaska. The photo was taken as Brader was on his way to the Snag airstrip in Yukon, Canada. Snag was the site of the lowest temperature ever recorded in North America. On February 3rd, 1947, weathermen etched a notch in the thermometer, because the mercury was below the lowest indicator marks. When the thermometer was analyzed later, it was found that the temperature would’ve read -81.4°F (-63°C). In temperatures that low, the voices of people could be heard four miles away. Frozen breath hangs in the air for up to 15 minutes, making it easy to find where someone has gone.
Northice Station
The coldest place in the western hemisphere is Greenland, although the country is historically claimed as part of Europe. The Northice Research Station in the middle of the Greenland Ice Sheet recorded a temperature of -87 °F (-66 °C) on January 9th, 1954. The researchers immediately packed up and went home to the coast. Just kidding! However, it must be too cold to take photographs, since I couldn’t find any of Northice.
Yakutsk
Yakutsk, capital of the Yakutia region in Siberia claims to be the coldest city on earth. Considering it has a population of 200,000 people, that may be so. In January, daily high temperatures average around -58°F (-50°C). Residents often leave their cars running all day long to ensure they can get home. You are warned not to wear glasses outside, as they will freeze to your face and tear the flesh when you try to remove them. See more pictures and a video of Yakutsk here.
Verkhoyansk
Verkhoyansk, in the Yakutia region of Siberia, lies within the Arctic Circle, an eight-day drive from Yakutsk. But you can only drive there in the winter, when the lakes are frozen, because there are no land roads! 1,300 people live in Verkhoyansk, the biggest part of whom make their living herding reindeer and fur hunting. The area has abundant natural resources, including gold, but is too cold to develop profitable mining. The picture above was taken at the Pole of Cold in Verkhoyansk. Note the mammoth’s tusks that mark the spot.
Temperatures that have been recorded at the Verkhoyansk Weather Station have shown a record low of minus 72 degrees Celsius, and an average temperature for January being minus 49 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately, a nearby town by the name of Oimyakon is also trying to gain the title of Cold Pole, with an unofficial record low of minus 78 degrees Celsius. It is no wonder that this region has the nickname of “Stalin’s Death Ring”.
When you think you are cold, check out the forecast for Verkhoyansk.
Oymyakon
Oymyakon, the other village that claims to be the coldest spot in the northern hemisphere, is also in the Yakutia region of Russia. In English, the name means “Oy, My Achin’ Toes”. Just kidding! In the Sakha language, it means “non-freezing water”, because of the presence of a hot spring in the midst of the permafrost. On January 26, 1926, the temperature in Oymayakon was recorded as -96.2 °F (-71.2 °C). Some will argue with this figure because it was achieved through extrapolation instead of a direct thermometer measurement. Like Snag, Canada, Oymyakon lies in a bowl between mountains, which traps cold air. The temperature in winter is often lower than -50°F. It was -76°F just last week! See more pictures of Oymyakon here.
Vostok Station
In the southern hemisphere, there’s no argument about the coldest place. The coldest temperature ever recorded on earth was at Vostok Station, a Russian research station in inland Antarctica. On July 21st, 1983, thermometers read -128.6 °F (-89.2 °C). The station is manned year-round. Russians are hardy people.
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Comments (138)
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Fascinating. Great article.
posted by Jake Le Master on 1-24-2008 at 5:05 am
Geez. Now I feel like a total wimp for complaining that it’s 12 below zero here in Wisconsin at this moment. Hats off to the Russians… or not because your ears would fall off from instant frostbite.
posted by Cheryl on 1-24-2008 at 5:36 am
wow!, thats cold!
earlier you said this:In temperatures that low, the voices of people could be heard four miles away.
whats the science behind that? how does temperature allow for sound to travel like that?
posted by chad on 1-24-2008 at 6:57 am
Yeah, I’m wondering the same thing as Chad.
So do molecules in the air move much slower because it’s so cold, therefore allowing sound waves to travel easier with less interference? Or am I an idiot? Probably the latter.
posted by Jake Le Master on 1-24-2008 at 7:04 am
According to the article linked under “frozen breath”, its called a temperature inversion, and sound waves are bent back toward the ground. I haven’t had time to look that up, but it sounds fascinating.
posted by Miss Cellania on 1-24-2008 at 7:10 am
As always, Wikipedia is quite helpful. I looked up “temperature inversion” and found the following:
“In addition, when an inversion layer is present (for example early in the morning when ground-level air temperatures are cool, and high-level air temperatures are warmer), if a sound or explosion occurs at ground level, the sound wave can travel much further than normal — the sound is refracted by the temperature change at the boundary and it undergoes total internal reflection. Much of the sound is thus trapped under the layer and the sound can travel much greater distances than normal.”
posted by Jake Le Master on 1-24-2008 at 7:23 am
I just overheard two women saying that “they couldn’t imagine anywhere colder” than today in MARYLAND, where it is probably ummmm 30 degrees at the moment.
Mental Floss subscriptions and url links for all!!
posted by Lauren on 1-24-2008 at 7:31 am
Well this definetly cheered me up! I thought it was cold here, I guess 14 below isn’t too bad if you compare it to these places!
posted by Cheryl on 1-24-2008 at 7:38 am
I wonder if you can ever get used to temperatures like that. I mean, to some degree temperature is relative. It’s 45 here in San Antonio today and everyone is complaining about it being cold. I tend to agree, even though I grew up with colder temperatures than this!
posted by nutmeag on 1-24-2008 at 7:42 am
I’m so happy to be living in Florida!
posted by Count Spicula on 1-24-2008 at 7:49 am
An interesting fact that gives some perspective: at -40 F, if you throw a cup of boiling hot water in the air it will freeze before it hits the ground. Have seen it done on TV, and (unfortunately) have done it myself.
Knowing how cold -40 is, it’s hard to imagine -70 and beyond.
posted by EV on 1-24-2008 at 8:21 am
As long as we’re discussing cold weather science, can anyone who watched the Green Bay/ NY Giants game tell me how that band was able to play at halftime without their valves freezing up?
Man, I’m a dork.
posted by Captain Grace on 1-24-2008 at 8:23 am
Keeps the riff-raff out!
posted by Moon on 1-24-2008 at 8:45 am
Okay, I’m a wimp. Windchill today is -20 and I was complaining. I can’t do that as loudly now…
At least my pipes haven’t frozen this year. Miss Cellania, you have my sympathies on that.
posted by kitsana_d on 1-24-2008 at 8:54 am
Thanks, kitsana. They are OK now, at least they didn’t bust! I have now replaced the old electric pipewrap with a working version.
posted by Miss Cellania on 1-24-2008 at 9:01 am
I’m DEFINITELY a wimp. We’re experiencing “a winter SNAP” here in Dallas… low of 28* for today.
The “ping” sound that your nose makes as freezing–that would be an experience!
posted by lainey on 1-24-2008 at 9:16 am
I grew up in Northwestern Ontario where the Feb. temperature is routinely -40 (interestingly the only spot where Farenhiet and Celcius temperatures are the same). Yes you do get used to the temp., and with the very dry air a it’s not too hard to take. I used to do commercial diving 12 months/year there – sometimes we had to cut through 3 feet of ice to get to the water. People sometimes asked me how I could stand to dive when it was – 40 and I would remind them that the water never got colder than 0, otherwise it got all stiff and unmanageable!
Yes I have seen colder. I worked outside in -65 C once. Nearly broke a spring on the truck going over a bump!
posted by Dougall on 1-24-2008 at 9:18 am
Wow does that make the chill outside easier to take. Still air temps are -16F (no wind chill for a change) here in sunny South Dakota this morning.
The boiling water trick mentioned by EV is cool, and true (I’ve done that), but did you know that if you spit in -40 temps (maybe warmer too), it’ll freeze before it hits the ground? My dad told me that long ago, and it works. You usually hear a semi-loud crack, and a little chunk of ice hits the ground.
Another bit of cold weather trivia; airplanes are much more efficient in cold weather. The air is denser, so wings give more lift and propellers/jets give more thrust. That’s only a factor on the ground and at low altitudes, but it makes a big difference for takeoffs and landings.
posted by Dave on 1-24-2008 at 9:19 am
Ohhh… It´s summer here in South America… I´m currently sporting a great tan and will be heading to the beachfor the whole weekend tomorrow.
Sorry, I just had to rub it in… :)
posted by GTT on 1-24-2008 at 9:29 am
Woke up to minus 20 this morning. Growing up in FL, this MN weather is killing me and my car! Some of those spots are cold, but it isn’t going to stop me complaining when my moustache freezes the instant I walk outside :)
posted by Kristian on 1-24-2008 at 9:51 am
You bastard. (J\K)
posted by Gil on 1-24-2008 at 9:53 am
I served in the Navy with a lady from Alaska, as she said ‘Born and Raised’. We were in New London CT during a cold snap where the low temp was 10F. While we all wore ski jackets and the like she was in a t-shirt and saying “This is not cold, you want cold, come home with me” Burrrr!
posted by Owen on 1-24-2008 at 10:14 am
Living just outside of the “Windy City” of Chicago, we get a double wammy – the frigid temperatures and winds gusts of 30-35 MPH that make the cold cut straight through you. When I woke up this morning it was -15F with a wind chill of -45F. Good Morning!!
posted by Midwestern Polack on 1-24-2008 at 10:15 am
I grew up just outside Chicago and the cold has stayed with me my entire life..I’ve lived in Texas for over 30 years now, and have NO plans to move anywhere that it snows or gets below 20…my next stop – Arizona…i can handle the heat, but not the cold…I’m cold in my house when its 60…I think your body gets acclimated to the clime, it took me years to get used to the heat/humidity down here, and now i’m a cold wimp…BUT- you don’t have to shovel sunshine and I keep that in mind during the winter, believe me!!
posted by donner on 1-24-2008 at 10:36 am
ulaanbaatar in mongolia gets pretty chilly around this time of year too – i used to not be able to blink on my walk to work or my eyelashes would all freeze together…
posted by christiane on 1-24-2008 at 10:41 am
Pffft! That’s nothing. The coldest place on Earth is always my effin’ C of an ex-wife. Too cold to even measure.
posted by Boba Fett on 1-24-2008 at 11:21 am
Wow, I feel like a whiner now. I’m a California boy going to school in Chicago and I’m trying to survive my first real winter, but I guess I should be thankful that at least the high gets above zero here!
posted by Will on 1-24-2008 at 11:34 am
I am a definite wimp. It’s 46F here in Las Vegas and I’m freezing. No joke: I have a sheet, two comforters, and two blankets on my bed and I STILL have to wear a sweatshirt over my pajamas at night.
I love Las Vegas summers. 115F is great!
Viva Las Vegas!
posted by Melodye on 1-24-2008 at 11:53 am
Well, I gotta say that I am slowly becoming a non-winter-wimp… or in other words, I’m getting used to the cold- But living in Salt Lake, the temperature really doesn’t get that bad- the high today is 25(F) and we still haven’t broken the big zero yet at night- so I can’t complain. BUT I did live in Rexburg, Idaho. Now, Rexburg is AS COLD AS the MN town mentioned- I’ve done all the hot water-to-freezing-air tricks- although I must say the most unfunny one was trying to get to class on time (college) and I accidentally ran out the door with slightly wet hair- NEVER do that! I’ve had my eyelashes frozen shut, my nose frozen shut, and my hair break in frozen chunks– really, its not worth it.
My parents-however- are moving THIS WEEK from the bay area in CA to Ft.McMurray, Alberta, Canada. All I can do is laugh!
posted by Ashley on 1-24-2008 at 1:21 pm
…and I was complaining about -20 on my way to work this morning.
I say I can’t wait for summer, but I don’t really mean it…100 isn’t my cup of tea either.
posted by Laura on 1-24-2008 at 1:48 pm
I grew up in Florida but now live in Maryland. I tease my friends in Florida about how they break out the parkas when the temperature dips below 60F, but even I wussed out last weekend when a friend wanted me to go skiing in 18F weather. I found the sofa and a warm dog much more appealing.
posted by Ken on 1-24-2008 at 1:50 pm
This makes me lol, because I live in the Yukon, so I’m quite used to cold weather. The coldest I’ve experienced is -63F (-53C), though my father has seen -73F (-58C) when he first moved to the Yukon many years ago. Up here, when it hits melting (32F/0C) we’re all wearing T-shirts outside and commenting about the “wonderful weather”! :P
posted by Tilas on 1-24-2008 at 2:47 pm
I have to laugh at how wimpy people in south Texas are, most of the comments here are about very cold temps, below freezing, here in south central Texas if it is 32 degrees outside and even the slightest chance of percipitaion, everything shuts down, roads, schools, businesses, its great. Last year i got 3 paid days of for sleet.
posted by Lindsey U on 1-24-2008 at 3:49 pm
nice article! i live in fairbanks, alaska. it’s -30F right now…and getting colder.
woOt!
posted by su.wei on 1-24-2008 at 6:49 pm
I live in Hawaii and it’s currently a comfortable 79C. I wish we had real seasons with cold winters but I’m definitely not jealous of -70C. No thanks. I’m also a huge wimp when it comes to the weather. When it hits 60, I’m wearing boots and a big jacket. Mostly because I like cold weather clothes. They’re so much more fun.
posted by Leah on 1-24-2008 at 7:59 pm
Man, I’m definitely sending this to my friends in California complaining about 50ºF weather. What kinds of clothing do you have to wear to not have your limbs freeze and break off in that kinda weather???
posted by Ousi on 1-25-2008 at 12:43 pm
Lolol! I’m a wimpy Californian. I reside in the Northern end of the state, near Stockton. It’s breezy and in the 50’s and I’m COLD! And not ashamed to say it outloud! It comes down to what you’re accustomed to. Or willing to become accustomed to. Altho the HOT 110f summer is the pits, I can live with it. As long as I have central air/heat, I’m good to go. God help me when California goes green and can control your thermostat when big business needs more energy. Seriously. Someone is trying to pass that thru California government. Erk!
posted by Pam on 1-25-2008 at 3:33 pm
Actually the coldest place in the world (and whole universe for that matter) was achieved in a lab at MIT:
http://www.realitycrowd.com/?p=11
posted by Nathan on 1-25-2008 at 3:56 pm
Come on now, everybody knows that Winnipeg is the coldest place on earth.
posted by sporb on 1-25-2008 at 4:00 pm
Ha ha ha!!! you guys should come to winnipeg, manitoba, canada. We on average during winter especially january, feb, and march get around -40 degrees and population is about 700,000. It’s not that bad as long as you don’t get stuck outside for too long. At uni we have tunnels going everywhere pretty sweet, and its a huge campus.
posted by nirbs on 1-25-2008 at 4:06 pm
So much for global warming! ;)
posted by Jay on 1-25-2008 at 4:21 pm
It was -20F two days ago at about 4 in the morning. That was actual temperature. In my lifetime I remember an actual temperature of -60 here in Minnesota. Then the next summer it was 110F thats a hell of a 170F swing.
posted by Ashur420 on 1-25-2008 at 4:39 pm
I live in california. I work for the government. Believe it or not we get safety warnings when it gets below forty. I swear to god people lose twenty iq points when it drops below 50. I feel like a wuss. However, one of my good friends is from siberia, she says our winters are worse because they are so “wet you can’t even avoid getting soaked and that’s much worse”.
posted by Brittany on 1-25-2008 at 4:41 pm
-50, Well, thank Heaven for Global Warming or it would be really cold!
posted by Jaybird2005 on 1-25-2008 at 5:04 pm
born and raised accross the border from international falls, mn. a little town known as Fort Frances, ON where we do the “polar bear swim” (jumping in the ice). Its colder on our side of the border, but right now im living 4 hours west of there and it gets way colder here, windchills can bring the temp down to -50’s. Love every minute of it.
posted by Ellisd on 1-25-2008 at 5:21 pm
I live in Dubai… the coolest it got in jan was 10C …. and I was complainin…. OUCH !!
posted by Jigsy on 1-25-2008 at 5:51 pm
wow my car doesn’t start when it’s 20 below. that’s the average temperature for a lot of those places (or lower).
posted by jmccrox on 1-25-2008 at 5:52 pm
Hmm, so if the temp in vostok can drop to almost -90c, does that mean when you exhale, the carbon dioxide in your breath snows out? Because CO2 turns to dry ice at -78c .. does that also mean there’s no CO2 in the air at vostok because it’s all piled up as carbon dioxide snow on the ground?
posted by Ian on 1-25-2008 at 6:02 pm
I cann’t wait for global warming So one reason to leave you car running all day.
posted by tbrtfff on 1-25-2008 at 6:09 pm
From the east coast, now living in the bay area (san jose CA). I’m getting sick of people complaining about 50F being cold.
posted by Matt on 1-25-2008 at 6:11 pm
As a Canadian that grew up in northern Manitoba, I know cold. Most car companies cold weather test their vehicles in my home town of Thompson. The coldest I ever remember was -49C (wind chill goes on top of that). School wasn’t canceled. I walked. But for goodness sake -66C!!
posted by Steve on 1-25-2008 at 6:15 pm
brrrr.
posted by Shanna on 1-25-2008 at 6:17 pm
I’m here in Vermont. We get some days that get down to 25-35 below, but it doesn’t usually stay that way for long, maybe a few days. Our problem is we get damp air from the lake effect and the old Alberta Clipper down from Canada. This makes the wind chill really nasty….
posted by Cid Sinclair on 1-25-2008 at 6:20 pm
nice little article. i used to live in upstate new york; we got the trifecta; lake effect snow, atlantic cold fronts, canadian cold fronts. all this was mixed in with healthy night winds and the long standing record of “highest snow fall for a major city, world wide”. (syracuse). i’ve seen wind chills drop all down to the -40s before, and it’s an incredible thing how fast everything freezes and how fragile your car becomes!
an interesting piece of fact i’ve learned, being someone who’s lived in a lot of odd places: the way we perceive cold is also affected by the altitude we feel it at; -40F/C at 5,000ft and below is incredibly intolerable. 5,000-10,000 it is managable, and above 10k it can become downright comfortable; although this is deceptive since you will still get frostbitten if not properly protected!
posted by killjoy on 1-25-2008 at 6:37 pm
I live in eastern Minnesota, and our roommates went up to International Falls over last weekend. Everyone said they were crazy for picking that weekend to go. However, while up there their thermometer read -13F, the house they stayed in was kept at a warm 72F. Whereas in our town, the highest temp we saw was -19F (it mostly stayed below -22F) and our furnace went out for two days, so our house was about 40 degrees for the entire weekend, and our neighborhood’s internet was out for half of it. I’d say they picked a damn good weekend to visit one of the “coldest places on earth”.
posted by Q on 1-25-2008 at 6:57 pm
I’m in Arizona, and i’m freezing at anything below 60…..
posted by djresqd on 1-25-2008 at 7:06 pm
You folks should try Grise Fiord on the south tip of Ellesmere Island NWT, Canada. I was there for Nov. Dec. Jan. in the late 80’s and the warmest it got was -49C. The coldest it got was -59C and add the wind chill on top of that you can just call it down right cold. Only place I have ever been where when you spit it freezes off of your lips!
posted by Tmac on 1-25-2008 at 7:09 pm
If you prefer a hot weather, Please come to Thailand.
posted by Here is warm all the year through on 1-25-2008 at 7:39 pm
that is one chilling report..
posted by gregM on 1-25-2008 at 7:53 pm
wtf? Ive lived in Northern Alberta Canada all my life. -17? thats it? Northern Alberta is -45f for 2 months (yes 8 weeks) or colder every year. Crap, last time it was that warm we pulled out the lan chairs
and had a warner roast….
posted by old_joe on 1-25-2008 at 7:58 pm
i’m in maine now and its a toasty 22F right now and eating ice cream :P. supposed to get a thaw in a week or so (above 40) but it got to a pretty cold -26 last week (weather changes rapidly here) and coldest i’ve experienced is -38 with a wind chill brr.. now THATS cold. (ps. mainers hit the beach when it hits 50)
posted by Serveck on 1-25-2008 at 7:59 pm
I grew up in Novosibirsk, Russia and they only canceled school at -35C… before that we had to run (or ski, as I often did) and then change into inside clothes for the classes… now I see people in CAli complaining about 40-50F ))))
posted by yoyoyo on 1-25-2008 at 8:49 pm
Hi from sunny Melbourne, Australia.
It’s a Summer afternoon here and about 35C (95F) outside. The kids are wearing shorts and t-shirts while their parents are worrying about UV exposure.
The forecast for later today says showers, thunderstorms, warm Northerly winds and strong cold southwesterly winds too.
The great thing about this place is that the weather is interesting. Sometimes we have a dozen distinctly different types of weather a day (or afternoon).
Are there other places where you can stand in the sunshine and the rain simultaneously?
posted by David on 1-25-2008 at 9:26 pm
In response to how the band can play in cold weather if you use 50/50 water and everclear your valves will stay nice and fast. This works great for winter footballs games
viva Iowa
posted by Michael on 1-25-2008 at 10:35 pm
IIRC,
Drass, India at -60C or so is the second coldest permanently inhabited place in the world after Siberia.
BTW, I really appreciate that in spite of being a US magazine you taken pains to use degree Celsius – I wonder how many Americans realize that the entire world bar 3 countries (Liberia, Myanmar and the United States) use the metric system.
posted by Sayan on 1-25-2008 at 11:28 pm
Global warming, my ass :-)
posted by Victor on 1-26-2008 at 4:56 am
The Coldest Places on Earth | Deliggit.com
mentalfloss.com
Brrrr…where are the coldest places on Earth?
Oymyakon, the other village tha
posted by Deliggit.com | The social sites' most interesting urls on 1-26-2008 at 5:12 am
I wonder if the Green Bay Packers Bikini girls will go to any of these places?
posted by Ben Dover on 1-26-2008 at 10:43 am
chanfle!! y yo quejandome de los 2°C aqui en piedras negras, coahuila mexico!! mejor ya no me quejo jejeje
posted by WiLL on 1-26-2008 at 10:50 am
so good thing i live in sunny los angeles. where 50 degrees f is about as cold it’ll ever get
posted by chi on 1-27-2008 at 5:26 pm
Thanks I am here freezing my ass off in Michigan…can you now tell me the 10 warmest places on earth to make my day
posted by Bud Somerville on 1-28-2008 at 7:32 pm
global warming my ass!
posted by Alex on 1-29-2008 at 2:20 am
So, I live in central Alberta, Canada. It’s currently -31C with a wind chill around -50 and it has been for the past couple of days. Everyone still goes outside, there is still school, there is still work. People still jog in this weather! It isn’t so bad. I had a wiener roast outside just last week in -25C.
But it also can get warm here too. Last summer it got to a hot 30C!
posted by Christy on 1-29-2008 at 2:22 pm
I swear to all of you good people that I will never again complain when the temperature drops below 50 degrees here in San Diego!
posted by Michael J on 1-29-2008 at 4:18 pm
Fraser is colder!!!
posted by Mat K on 1-29-2008 at 4:40 pm
Ahaha I’m laughing at all these people who think -10C is cold! Try living in Winnipeg! -52C today (-40 without windchill) and I have to walk to work! Thats ok though, Winnipegs still the most amazing city ever.
posted by Alah on 1-29-2008 at 9:47 pm
You forgot Iowa.
posted by Thane on 1-30-2008 at 12:30 am
Just be glad that you HAVE central heating. Those of us who live south of the Yangtze river in China don’t have central heating at all. (because it’s China and that’s the rule) Apparently, I’m in the only major city that hasn’t been snowed on this week in China (I’m not complaining, I want to get to Thailand for Chinese New Year on Saturday- if there was snow I’d be here. I like snow, but not while trying to get on a flight.). There are literally MILLIONS of people stranded at train stations all over China because it’s a big travel time, and most of the country is iced over. It may not be snowing here, but it’s cold- about 40 degrees, which isn’t too bad, but remember, I don’t have HEAT. The inside of a building is often colder than the outside.
posted by greenstrawberries on 1-30-2008 at 5:11 am
The first winter (1977-78)I spent in Creede, Colorado, we had a cold spell when the temp didn’t get above 0 F for 32 days, with night time lows in the -40, -50 degree range. Since most of the town heated with wood, chimney fires were common, and the firefighters spent many nights in the cold, spraying water which quickly froze on everything. Frozen pipes in many of the summer homes weren’t discovered until springtime when the big thaw happened. In order to bury people in the graveyard, piles of old tires were burned under tarps to thaw the ground, or the dead were just kept on ice until warmer times. :) People just hunkered down, drank a bit more, and dreamed of Jamaica…
posted by creede on 1-30-2008 at 8:55 am
People think of the desert as being hotter than heck. Well, I live in the high-desert of north eastern Nevada, and I will tell you, it is anything but warm. The one thing that makes this place crazy is temperature shifts of as much as 70 degrees. I have seen it 103 degrees in the day time and have frost the next morning.
Just yesterday it was -21 degrees with a wind-chill of -65 degrees. By noon it was 31 degrees!
The things that make for crazy temperature shifts are: 1) It is 7040 feet above sea level here 2) the humidity is almost always less than 10%. Temperature decreases fast at this elevation because of the thinner atmosphere, and humidity holds heat, which there being very low moisture, there is nothing to hold the heat. On top of that it is almost always clear here, so there is no clouds to hold the heat either. In short, it is a recipe for plummeting night time temperatures and rapid climbing day time temperatures.
And with everything else, we have had the most snowfall that has been seen here in over 50 years the past month. I have drifts in my yard that are over 10 feet deep! Oh yeah, we also have wind that is almost always over 30mph. With the first snowstorm of January, we had winds that were over 120mph with heavy snow fall — that was fun, considering that you could not go anywhere unless you had a 4X4 and then you had to put tire-chains on all four wheels! And think about it like this, I am only 220 air miles north of Las Vegas!
I grew up in Michigan and I am used to temps that are 35-40 below zero with wind-chills close to -80, and day time temps that never get above -20. I would gladly trade that for these conditions.
Oh, I did not mention that I am in the most isolated region of the lower 48. I am more than 200 miles from a city that has over 5000 people, and then the only cities that are worth going to are either Las Vegas or Salt lake City, UT, both over 250 miles away. If you travel later than 8pm you will be 220 miles from a gas station. This is a place that you can die very easily in the winter or summer — considering that I have seen snow at night and then the next day it is clear and close to 100 degrees.
John, north eastern Nevada
posted by John on 2-2-2008 at 9:05 am
I think you meant that Northice Station is the coldest place in the NORTHERN not the western hemisphere. The south pole counts as the western hemisphere and I’ve seen -112F there during the winter.
Cheers!
posted by Matt on 2-2-2008 at 3:12 pm
Northice Station is listed in several places as the coldest in the Western hemisphere. Many places in Russia claim to be colder than Greenland, for the northern record.
posted by Miss Cellania on 2-2-2008 at 5:41 pm
well you havent seen a cold winter til you go to buffalo……….. blizzards and closings it gets very cold to!!!!!!!!
posted by lisa on 2-5-2008 at 9:17 am
Hard to convince the people who live in those locales that global warming is real, I’ll bet!!
posted by Richard on 2-5-2008 at 9:23 am
You said Fraser Colo is one of the cold spots in Colorado. Yet Gunnison and Alamosa each hold for coldest spot in Colorado. Gunnison seems to beat out Alamosa for cold spot at around -40 F. The coldest temp recorded in Colorado was Taylor Reservoir at around -54 degree F.
posted by Dave on 2-5-2008 at 9:27 am
ROFLMAO.
I’m currently in the socialist state of NM where they complain when it gets down to 50 or so. Like other people here I’m quite comfortable in a sweatshirt while the locals are running around in a ski jacket, boots and gloves with heaters BLASTING in their cars n trucks. Good grief!!
posted by Bogie on 2-5-2008 at 9:33 am
Wyoming gets cold too! Right now were at -29 degrees F. The Record for Big Piney is -78 degrees F.
posted by Eric on 2-5-2008 at 9:33 am
This is for David in sunny Australia I live in Sunny Orlando, Florida and yes we have “sunshowers” also! It is 74 F here at 10:30 am, expecting 83 F. I wouldn’t leave this shorts year round heaven for any amount of money! Cold is just no fun!!
posted by Joe on 2-5-2008 at 9:34 am
I was born in Upstate New York when I was a Kid in Galway,I remember the Snow was so Deep you could Sled off the Roof,And this House was on Bricks.And ya It was Frigid.Sometimes we could not go outside the temperatures were -40.
posted by Joe rogers on 2-5-2008 at 9:50 am
Being in Australia, I just cannot imagine how cold your winters must be in Canada and USA. An average winter’s day temperature range here is about 8C to 16 C (I think thats about 46F to 60F)and we even complain at that!
posted by Scott on 2-5-2008 at 9:53 am
well..how many layers do people wear in Russia..people r dyin homeless w/no clothes on in other parts of the world…nd fuckin Russians r wearin furry clothes..
posted by whatever whateve on 2-5-2008 at 10:01 am
Wish I could experience those winters and -0 degrees..I’m living here in the Tropical City of manila,philippines where heat and sweat are experienced. Today we are on 30 degrees celsius…Whew!:-)
posted by Regz on 2-5-2008 at 10:01 am
It’s 40F and damp today. After reading this article I feel like going swiming
posted by DLM on 2-5-2008 at 10:02 am
I get cold in Southern California… And people actually live in these places… it’z only 100 degrees cloder in some of these locales… Time for hot chocolate..
posted by James Naylor on 2-7-2008 at 2:18 pm
this article is HOT!
:)
posted by Meliza on 2-8-2008 at 12:45 pm
I read a book once claiming that the lowest temp recorded in Oymyakon was -88.8C, sometime in the 1920s.
posted by Ordener on 2-10-2008 at 7:29 am
Damn. I live in the South and last year at this time it was 98 degrees outside. And I thought it being 50 degrees right now was cold as hell. Lol.
posted by Solaimon on 2-11-2008 at 11:13 am
The fact about being able to hear a voice from a very long distance in these bitterly cold conditions is true. The extreme cold temperature occur when the wind stops and the cold settle into the low spots. That is why valleys are always the coldest places. When this phenomenon occurs, and you are in this region, you are in a “acoustic lens”. Sound is refracted just as light. Just as a high index of refraction material causes light to change course, so does a higher “sound index” material. The speed of sound slow with decreasing temperature. Sound will bend toward a slower (colder) air mass. If you are in one of these bitterly cold valleys, the air above is warmer. If someone speaks their voice is bent (refracted) from above back toward the coldest spot–in this case the surface of the land. Since there is no wind, there is very little other noise. This fact coupled with the atmosphere refracting the sound back to ground level will allow voice communication over a very long distance.
posted by John Wilder on 2-12-2008 at 9:07 am
This is amazing. In southern India with temperatures of around 15C in winter freez by reading this article. Un beleivable.Hats off to the people staying in those places.
posted by A.N.Sarma on 2-12-2008 at 9:33 am
Very neat article. And to think that I thought it was cold living in Connecticut in the winter…..boy was I wrong!!
posted by Nathan Grandjean on 2-12-2008 at 9:37 am
In reference to Michael who wrote “….if you use 50/50 water and everclear your valves will stay nice and fast.” Well, everyone knows that – I’ve done it several times myself but how about the horn’s valves?
posted by Don on 2-12-2008 at 9:45 am
Minneapolis here. Been here for six years now and I’m though with it. Moving to Arizona later this year. Humans weren’t meant to live in this crap!
posted by Josh on 2-12-2008 at 9:52 am
Lived up in northern NY and Chicago – years ago – owned two 8 HP snow blowers once – sure glad I moved to Houston – where we jet skiied last weekend – one tough February winter -
posted by Steve on 2-12-2008 at 10:16 am
When I was in Yakutia(Yakutsk, Handyga) I use to like there even cold wheather
min. -50C and their people. I hope my
project of water supply system in permofrost condition is steel alive.
Now I am 30 years in Chigago area and like It too. Yul
posted by Yul on 2-12-2008 at 10:25 am
Now I am feeling really bad. I just complained about the weather to my wife. Its too cold at night to BBQ even though the temp the last few days has been around 70. Its tough to live in California.
How do you go outside in cold temps like what are described in the blog?
posted by Bob on 2-12-2008 at 10:27 am
these people are freaks
posted by mitsy on 2-12-2008 at 10:31 am
frozen breath is simply the enhanced audability and crystal clarity of sounds due to the denser air and absence of wind. also, the strong surface temperature inversion bends the sound waves back toward the surface causing saounds to hug the ground.
posted by leizel tupaz on 2-12-2008 at 10:39 am
With cold temps like this, I’m all for global warming!
posted by Ken on 2-12-2008 at 10:45 am
lol wow thats incredible…
i live in miami so when it hits 65 people pull out their fur boots and mittens…
lol we dont know how to act…
posted by mike something on 2-12-2008 at 11:13 am
I don’t know how people do that and why? Do these people know there are other places to live.. like Miami..we have a cold front coming through and the high is gonna be 78 get out the sweaters hahaha.
posted by ryan on 2-12-2008 at 11:22 am
The headline is “The Coldest Place on Earth”, but the focus is the coldest places in US. US = Earth. And that damn Greenland is European!
posted by Magnus on 2-14-2008 at 4:41 pm
Magnus, you should read the second page.
posted by Miss Cellania on 2-14-2008 at 5:24 pm
brrrr!
posted by poleAh on 2-18-2008 at 12:31 am
Yes, it’s really very cold.
posted by Zecilia on 2-19-2008 at 10:55 am
The coldest place recorded on earth was in MIT, USA. Scientists cooled a box to a fraction of a degree off absolute zero.
posted by johnny on 2-19-2008 at 4:24 pm
we should give points for swing states. you know the ones with -10F winters and 120F summers (kansas). it stinks b/c you have to keep switching back and forth b/w heat and ac. i once drove to school in a shorts and flip flops b/c it was 70 out, and i ended up chipping 3 inches of ice off my car at the end of the day.
just thought we should give credit to those who have to deal with both extremes
posted by elysia on 2-21-2008 at 8:41 pm
Temperature can definitely be very subjective, depending on what you’re used to. Here in southwest Florida, most of us locals consider anything below 65F/18C to be rather chilly, and below 50F/10C can be down-right cold.
Then again, we’re much more acclimated to the higher temperatures and humidity than our visitors are. I remember a day at work at a car dealership when a young lady with Vermont plates pulled up and said “Jeez, it sure is hot here!” – it was about 75F/24C, what we would consider as a pretty nice day. The service advisor and I looked at one another and burst out laughing and told her to stick around for another couple months – by then it would probably be about 95F/35C with about 95% humidity!
It’s all about what you’re used to. :)
posted by Rhianna on 2-22-2008 at 5:06 pm
I made a mistake – once I graduated I moved to Chicago from the south for a job offer. I like cute clothes and such, but once it hits 0 F- all cuteness goes out the door.
Piece of advice- if you live in CA or FL or any such places, you should probably stay there.
posted by T on 2-27-2008 at 7:55 pm
I laugh at everyone who lives somewhere warm. You can always put more layers on, but you cant keep taking stuff off.
I live in Gunnison, CO, with an average annual temp of 37.6 F(1.2 degrees F warmer then the Minnesota temp). This winter it got to -38 F and we had a week in january where it never got above -10 F.
I walk around in 10 F weather in a t-shirt, no big deal, you get used to it.
posted by Jake S on 3-2-2008 at 5:48 pm
I live in Belize. I think Id die if id visit any of these places. I wear a sweater maybe 4 days of the year…in maybe 74F … what a wuss hehe.
posted by Axel on 3-4-2008 at 3:03 pm
I lived in Deering, Alaska for a winter. My heater broke in -26 F / -32 C. My dog had to break through the ice on his water dish to drink.
Still it was not as bad as when my air conditioning broke in Phoenix, Arizona in 117 F / 47 C.
posted by Amy W. on 4-16-2008 at 1:28 pm
I am feeling cold on my seat!!!
posted by sachin on 5-6-2008 at 11:58 pm
As a teen I lived and worked in Ottumwa Iowa, in the winter it was -33 degrees Brrr. Had to take the car battery inside or it would freeze to death.
posted by Mike L on 6-5-2008 at 12:06 pm
you know… i live in a tropical country…and i am really fond of looking at cold places in pictures. Man they do brought me chills!
posted by jonathan t. macuroy on 7-10-2008 at 7:49 am
There is no such thing as Cold…only an absence of heat!
posted by Nancy C on 8-4-2008 at 7:33 pm
O.K!!! I USED TO LIVE IN WEST PALM BEACH….NOW I M LIVING IN NORWAY.
BELIEVE IT S TOO COLD IN HERE!!! NEVER I M GOING TO GET USED!!!
I CAN T BE OUTSIDE WITHOUT FEELING MY LEGS AND FOOT!!! LAST WINTER I D ALMOST LOST TWO NAILS OF MY FEET.
CAN T WAIT TO COME BACK TO FLORIDA!!!!
posted by Silvia Iafigliola on 9-22-2008 at 12:18 pm
Wow – The business to be in if you lived in Yakutsk would be selling car batteries if all of those people leave their cars running during the day to make sure they could get home at night !
posted by Stacy Kramer on 11-27-2008 at 9:50 pm
oh my gosh…wants to make me put my heavy duty jacket and scarf onjust reading it!!!
posted by roz on 12-1-2008 at 12:13 am
I live in Minnesota (not in International Falls) but it can be 95 and humid in the summer and get -20 in the winter. That’s over 110 degrees difference in temperature throughout the year. Does anywhere else on earth that gets that cold get that warm too? I think the midwestern people have very special skin to stand both the heat and the cold!
posted by Kelly on 12-1-2008 at 12:31 am
Here in Cape Town South Africa the temperature ranges from 4 – 35 Celcius, so to experience some sort of cold a lot of Capetonians will go to the second coldest place(Record -15C) in south africa, Sutherland(Observatory).We went there in 2006 and experienced -11 deg C and that was really an incredible experience. It was freek’n cold. There is also no snow in Cape Town except a visible show on very high mountain peaks. I am 45 and like other Capetonians have never felt snow so to read about -65 and seeing all the snow around sounds like an off the planet story. I think Yakutsk should be placed on my bucket list! LOL!
posted by Trevor on 12-1-2008 at 2:41 am
Damn, I’m cold just reading about these places.
posted by Tom on 12-2-2008 at 3:45 am
I live in Fairbanks Alaska and it ROCKS!!! It will get to -50 or -60 soon. It cracks me up when down in the lower 48, schools and roads shut down because of snow. Here, children wait by the side of road at -30 or colder for the school bus. I would never want to live anyone else. We Alaskans are heart people. Oh and by the way, even at those temps, people are still out shopping and carrying on with their lives. You just put on a jacket!
posted by Alaska Girl 4ever on 12-10-2008 at 2:49 pm
Haha, I live in Fairbanks AK, and I love it, minus the fact of standing up at the bus stop at -40. -_- Oh well, thank goodness for jackets! :D
Although it’s only about -35 right now, strangely warm for late December.
posted by Icydear on 12-30-2008 at 5:46 am
Wow It is freezing. lol. I was born in Minnesota but moved to California. Sure, Minnesota is freezing at there. I has a pnumondia when i was in first grade, cuz of that frezzing weather. It got so bad. But it went away. My mom’s Aunt lived in Russia and it is below 10 F. She also had a cancer. I’m still cold in California but warm in my house. Lol!!! ;D
posted by Samamtha on 1-3-2009 at 1:59 am
OK cold it is going to be a balmy 7deg F right now but the cold blast is coming the rest of the week it is not going to make it above the neg numbers. thats right it is not going to be above 0 deg in Biwabik minnesota next week. To spare you from lookin it up were about 50 miles straight north of Duluth MN we are only 15 miles from the Famous town of Embarass MN who think they are real cold.
posted by Wolffy on 1-12-2009 at 6:39 pm
More props for Winterpeg. The name ain’t for nothing – I’ve heard we hold the title of coldest city on Earth with a population above a half-million people.
Even when it’s warm it gets crazy – last week there was enough freezing rain that people were skating down streets and highways.
posted by Bert on 2-20-2009 at 2:56 pm
At Mount Denali in Alaska you can find some of the coldest wind chill numbers.
A normal temperature there is -50f at 18k feet near Denali Pass and, factoring in the jet stream, altitude and extreme latitude, and the venturi effect of the pass itself, you regularly get winds in excess of 200mph, which at -50f would give a wind chill of -350f. At this wind chill any exposed skin would freeze and die nearly instantly and several climbers caught in these conditions have been found flash frozen in mid-stride…
something to think about.
posted by Robert on 7-18-2009 at 3:55 pm
hi..i’m frm new delhi india and the coldest it everr goes is 2C (36F)..and that is in the early hours of morning so v never face it..th lowest we get to know is perhaps 8-10C (46-50F)..n i thot i’d die if it got any colder than dat..bt m sure i knw heat much better..wid 49C (120F) it gets REAL hot..
posted by smriti on 8-12-2009 at 10:31 am