Be grateful for living wherever you are. Nothing can be as bad as living in a place that witnesses the harshest winters. In these places, winters are not about throwing snowballs or celebrating Christmas— it’s about survival. Many of these places are mostly inhabited with the exception of research scientists. Let me walk you through some teeth-chattering, bone-chilling, skin-tingling places mentioned in the list below…
1. Vostok Station, Antarctica
Minimum Temperature: -89.2°C in 1983
This is the no. 1 coldest place in the planet as of today. It is a Russian research station located within the icy folds of Antarctica. The place will make your bones rattle to death.
2. Snag, Yukon Territory
Minimum Temperature: -63.9°C in 1947
Situated in Canada, North America, this village is known for its teeth chattering climate. Snag recorded recorded an impressively low temperature of -63.9°C in 1947. This place is known to the least inhabited province in Canada.
3. North Ice, Greenland
Minimum Temperature: -66.1°C in 1954
You might not be surprised to find Greenland on this list. This country is mostly 85% ice, so it is sure to feature in this list. North Ice was known to be an old British research station in earlier times.
4. Oymyakon, Russia
Minimum Temperature: -67.7°C in 1933
This sleepy, little Russian town is a shelter to some 500 people. Imagine how they endure the harshest cold in the most harshest of places. It is one of the most undesirable places to live in.
5. Ulaanbatar, Mongolia
Minimum Temperature: -49°C
Ulaanbatar is Mongolia’s capital city that houses over 1.3 million people. The residents are forced to experience the harshest and driest winters here. The summers are relatively warmer. The city largely consists of permafrost, so constructing building becomes a hurdle. The people here live traditional houses called yurts.
6. Prospect Creek, Alaska
Minimum Temperature: -62°C in 1971
Prospect housed a few thousand people here way back in the 1970s. Today, it houses a river station. Inspite of the climate’s harshness, you filled a few signs of life here. There are bald eagles, bears and other forms of wildlife here.
7. Verkhoyansk, Russia
Minimum Temperature: -45.4°C
You will find around a thousand residents inhabiting this town if you happen to pay a visit. This little town is located on the Yana river, very close to the Antartic circle. This place is known to have the biggest temperature difference between summer and winter. In summers, the mercury rises to +16.5°C while in the winters, the mercury drops to -45.4°C.
8. Amundsen- Scott Station, South Pole
Minimum Temperature: -74°C in 1974
You wouldn’t like to stay in a place that experiences sunrise and sunset only once a year, would you? Well, the Amundsen-Scott island is one such place that witnesses 6 months of light plus another 6 months of unstoppable darkness. This American scientific research station plus the southermost point on the planet.
9. Eureka, Canada
Minimum Temperature: -55.3°C
You won’t find normal people like you and me here but only scientists or some First Nation’s people. Eureka sits somewhere in the isolated Ellesmere island region in Canada. Over the years, this place has grown into an extensive research settlement. Eureka experiences an average temperature of -18.8°C.
10. Denali/Mount McKinley, Alaska
Minimum Temperature: -59.7°C in 2013
This snowy cap has managed to become the tallest mountain in North America. It stands a massive 20,310 feet above the sea, so naturally, it becomes coldly cold out there. Even the summers are quite chilly with a temperature range of -30.5°C to -50.7°C.
