Alex Carson
#1 Ust’Shchugor, Russia -72.6 Degrees
On New Year’s Eve in 1978, the temperature in the small village of Ust’Shcugor experienced one of the lowest temperatures in history. The temperature at an elevation of 279 feet was an extremely cold, -72.6. The village sits right near where the Pechora and Shchuger Rivers in Komi merge. The Shchugor River was once a minor route into Siberia and the route was extremely cold. Many people tried their best to avoid this bitterly cold area, however, since it was one of only routes to Siberia, there was no way of getting around it. The average temperature in this area at this time of year is -4. Considering the cold temperature on this night, most of the residents of the village stayed at home. To this day, this little village still holds the European record low temperature. It will likely be a while before this record is broken.
#2 Rogers Pass, Montana -70 Degrees
On January 20, 1954, the residents of Rogers Pass, Montana had to deal with one of the coldest days ever recorded. This wasn’t the only time that the temperatures dropped this low. On July 20, 1983, in the city of Glendive in Dawson County, Montana, the temperature dropped to -70 again. It isn’t always cold in this area. In 1937, Montana experienced their record high temperature of 117 degrees. This just goes to show that the weather in Montana can be very unpredictable. These two days helped Montana set the record for the most extreme range in high and low temperatures at 187 degrees. Due to the unpredictable weather, there are people who live in this area, however, there aren’t too many people who are willing to brave that kind of weather and settle down there.
#3 Prospect Creek, Alaska -78.8 Degrees
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Alaska is on this list since it is the coldest state in the United States. It is so cold, in fact, that much of the entire state is uninhabited. There are people who don’t want to deal with the cold, remote areas of Alaska. Prospect Creek, Alaska holds the record for the lowest temperature recorded in the United States. Prospect Creek is a small settlement in Alaska and it is not even at the most northern point of the state but it still holds the record. In most US states, the northern areas are the coldest. On this day in Alaska, that wasn’t the case. The record dipped this low on January 23, 1971. The average temperature in this area in January is -7 degrees. Luckily, like most of the coldest areas in Alaska, this area is uninhabited so there was nobody around to experience this bitterly cold day.
#4 Snag, Yukon -81 Degrees
You cannot have a list of the record cold temperatures without adding Canada to the list. Canada is famous for its green summers and its bitterly cold winters. Snag, Yukon is the former site of a military airfield that closed in 1968. Contrary to popular belief, the military airfield was not closed down due to the extreme cold. There was just no need for it anymore. It is also the site of one of the coldest days on record. The extremely low temperature was recorded in February of 1947. January is usually the coldest month with an average temperature of -22 degrees. The average temperature in February is -22 degrees. Snag hasn’t seen a day that cold since.
#5 North Ice, Greenland -87 Degrees
For a period of two years between 1952 and 1954, the research station North Ice remained active on the inland ice of Greenland. On January 9, 1954, at an elevation of 7,680 feet, the station recorded a temperature of -87 degrees, which was the coldest recorded temperature in North America. Typically, the average temperature in this area is -50 which is still extremely cold, but not as cold as it was on this day. By the end of 1954, the research station was shut down, therefore, if there has been a cold day like that since, there is a good chance that it wouldn’t have been recorded. If you are looking for a house or a general store in this area, you aren’t going to find one. People don’t live in this area and since the research station has been shut down, people don’t even go there anymore.
#6 Verkhoyansk, Russia -93 Degrees
It is no secret that Russia can be very cold. Even if you have never been to Russia or read about it, you will know if you have ever seen a movie that was based in Russia, you will know that almost all the time, there is snow on the ground. When it is warm in Russia, you can expect it to get blistering hot. When it is cold in Russia, you can expect it to get blistering cold. Although Verkhoyansk isn’t the coldest place on the planet, it is one of the top ones. It is also one of the most difficult places to live. While the Montana broke the record in the United States for the largest span between the coldest and hottest days, Verkhoyansk broke the Guinness World record by just 2 degrees more with a total span of 189 degrees between the coldest and hottest days.
#7 Oymyakon, Russia -96 Degrees
This town is located in the Sakha Republic and it is very densely populated. The extreme cold temperatures are likely to blame. This extremely low temperature was recorded back in 1924. A little over 9 years later, the record was almost broken again in the same region with a temperature of -90 degrees. If you aren’t a fan of cold weather, you might want to avoid this town. The few people that do live in this area don’t spend much time outdoors.
#8 Plateau Station, Antarctica -123 Degrees
In July 1968, when most of the world was sweating in the summer heat, Plateau Station was experiencing one of the coldest days on record. Plateau station is an American Research station in the South Pole that is no longer active. This station was built in December 1965 and in 1966, the first team arrived. The base was in use until January 1969 when it was closed down. The people running the station didn’t want to give up on it forever, so they wrapped everything in moth balls so that the moisture from the extreme cold and melting wouldn’t destroy the equipment. Of all the American stations around the world, this was the most remote and the coldest. The temperature was recorded at the American research station, Plateau Station, which in no longer active. The average temperature in this area at this time is very cold, typically around -76 degrees.
#9 Vostok, Antarctica -128 Degrees
This record low was recorded at the Vostok in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. The Vostok is a Russian station that once belonged to the Soviet Union. The research station is located in inland Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica. The research at the station includes testing using a magnetometer and ice core drilling. There are no people who live in this area, due to the extremely cold temperatures that this area experiences all year long. Of all the research stations in the world, this one has the second most southern location. The furthers south is the Amundsen-Scoot South Pole Station. Like many stations located in bitterly cold areas, this one is owned by the United States.
#10 Dome Argus, Antarctica -135.8 Degrees
Of the 10 COLDEST Recorded temperatures on EARTH! Dome Argus also known as Dome A has broken the record for the lowest in history. It is the loftiest ice dome located on the Antarctic Plateau. Unfortunately, it wasn’t recognized by the Guinness World Records because the temperature was not recorded on the ground. The temperature was recorded in August 2010. This low temperature was discovered after NASA went through 32 years worth of satellite readings and it was found. While the actual low temperature was in dispute, one thing that isn’t is disputed is that the temperature in this area can drop well below -102 degrees during the winter. This area got the name Dome Argus was given by Scott Polar Research Institute and it comes from Greek mythology. According to mythology, Argus built the ship Argo. What makes this area even more unique is that this is considered to be one of the driest locations on Earth. It is too cold there to rain, therefore, the only precipitation that this area gets is snow. The average amount of snowfall in this area is between 0.39 inches and 1.18 inches. This is quite shocking considering that there are areas in the southern United States where the temperatures reach over 100 degrees in the summer who get more snow than this. It is this calm weather that allows researchers and scientists to the ice core samples in this area. The average temperature in this area is -80 degrees.
