Home / Editor's Pick /

Top six records: The coldest places on Earth

14:00
21 January 2023

Top six records
The coldest places on Earth

Oymyakon winter forest in Russia© picture alliance

Do you know where the coldest place on Earth is? Take a look at our top six lowest temperature records to find out!

6. Prospect Creek, Alaska (USA)

Here's where you'll find the United States' all-time lowest temperature record, with a -62.2 in the January of 1971. Prospect Creek is now largely abandoned, but at the time was hosting oil workers who were building a pipeline.

5. Snag, Yukon (Canada)

This was the coldest ever temperature recorded in North America, right here in Canada with a mind-numbing -62.8C from February 1947.

4. Yakutsk, Russia

This city might sound familiar to you, neighbouring where a recent record was broken for one of the coldest January days in Russia (read here).

But the Siberian city of Yakutsk, is renowned as one of the coldest in the world for good reason. Temperatures bottomed out at -64. 4C in February 1981, but temperatures barely get above -30C throughout winter.

3. Northern Greenland

During a British North Greenland Expedition in the 1950s, temperatures at their base, a home-ruled Danish territory technically part of North America, fell to -66.1C.

2. Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, Russia

In second place is a record low of -67.7, recorded twice in 1892 and again in 1933, making this the lowest ever temperature recorded in Russia. It's also the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere and the coldest inhabited towns on Earth.

1. Vostok Station, Antarctica

Taking the official lead, a staggering -89.2C was recorded on July 21st 1983 by Soviet researchers. The temperature that day only rose as high as -66.7C, but it probably felt comparatively balmy by that point.

East Antarctica?

We mentioned that the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was disputed at -94.7C, and that was in East Antarctica during August of 2010.

However it can't hold the official number one spot, because it was recorded via satellite data and not a regular thermometer. So the title still stands with Vostok Station, but either way, neither temperature sounds too appealing.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Dense green forest with tall trees as bright sunlight streams through the canopy, casting long shadows across the leafy ground.
Sunday, 21 December 2025

Winter solstice

Days start getting longer from now!
Radar map showing widespread blue rain bands over the UK and Ireland with a triangular heavy-rain warning icon placed over central Britain.
Tuesday, 16 December 2025

Thursday rain

Incoming downpour prompts warnings
Split image showing a family and children playing and sledding on a snowy field with winter hills on the left, and a UK weather forecast map on the right with sun and cloud icons, city temperatures, and cloud cover over northern Scotland, divided by a curved white line.
Wednesday, 24 December 2025

Unlikely this year

Defining a White Christmas
All weather news
This might also interest you
Sunday, 24 August 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mammatus clouds widely spotted
Friday, 22 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Sunny start for some, overcast later
Monday, 25 August 2025

Bank holiday outlook

Warm day turning gusty in places
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList