Where is the coldest place in the world where humans live?

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In February 1993, this place recorded an unbelievable temperature of -89.9 degrees Fahrenheit (-67.7 degrees Celsius). And surprisingly, people still have lived there for many years. Do you know where it is? Check out this article “Where is the coldest place in the world where humans live?” to get the answer and learn a lot of interesting facts about this place.

Where is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth?

This place is in Russia. The lowest temperature (-89.9 degrees Fahrenheit) that has ever been recorded there was also the lowest officially recorded temperature in the Northern Hemisphere. Now, it’s time for us to find out the name of this coldest place in the world where humans live, where it is located, its type of climate, the life of local people, and other weather facts.

Where is the coldest place in the world where humans live?

It is Oymyakon - the coldest village on Earth. Oymyakon is a remote village located in Oymyakonsky District of Sakha Republic, Russia. It’s situated in the north of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Oymyakon is a remote village in Russia

This small village is famous for its frightful cold and also known as the Northern Pole of Cold. There are just 2 places on Earth considered the Northern Pole of Cold. The other one is Verkhoyansk, Russia which is 391 miles (629 kilometers) away from Oymyakon.

See also: What is the weather in North Pole & the climate in the Arctic?

Weather and climate in Oymyakon

Oymyakon is the coldest place in the world where humans live. The temperatures here remain low all year round, especially during the winter months.

Climate

Oymyakon has an extreme subarctic climate. The winters there are long and frightfully cold, while summers are mild to warm, even sometimes hot.

The temperatures there can reach up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) during the daytime in June, July, and August. But during winter, the temperatures are super cold. Do you know that Oymyakon has never recorded a temperature above the freezing point between 25th October and 17th March?

The coldest place in the world where humans live: Oymyakon has an extreme subarctic climate

Average temperatures, precipitation, and humidity

Average temperatures

According to the climate data for Oymyakon between 1981 and 2010, the annual average temperature there is 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit (-15.5 degrees Celsius). December, January, and February are the coldest months of the year, while Jun and July are the warmest months during the year in Oymyakon. Due to its super harsh cold, Oymyakon is, of course, never among the best weather places, right?

The average temperature in January is -58 degrees Fahrenheit (-50 degrees Celsius), but this number reaches 58.8 degrees Fahrenheit (14.9 degrees Celsius) in July - the middle of summer. Surprisingly, Oymyakon did record the highest temperature ever of 94.3 degrees Fahrenheit (34.6 degrees Celsius). And it was on July 28, 2010.

December, January, and February are the coldest months in Oymyakon

Average precipitation

Oymyakon receives 8.5 inches (215 millimeters) of precipitation per year on average. Precipitation in Oymyakon takes 2 main forms of rainfall and snow. Averagely, there are up to 156 snow days in this area, occurring mainly from October to March. There are also up to 52 rainy days each year in the coldest place in the world where humans live. Notably, there aren’t any snow days in Oymyakon in July and August.

Average relative humidity

The humidity in Oymyakon is quite high all year round. The average relative humidity here is 71 percent. Winter months often have higher humidity than summer months.

What makes Oymyakon so cold?

Though there are summer days when temperatures in Oymyakon go up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) and above, winters there always come with the harsh cold and unusually low temperatures. It’s no coincidence that Oymyakon is the coldest place in the world where humans live. So, what makes Oymyakon so cold? Well, the answer is its geography.

Oymyakon is located in a valley

Oymyakon is pretty far north (though it is not the farthest north point of Siberia). Also, Oymyakon is located in a valley. That’s one of the main reasons making this place attract unusual cold. This valley (and almost every valley in the world) is a magnet for inversions. To be more specific, inversion is a process where the cold air sinks to the floor of the valley while the warm air goes up and, well, acts as a cap.

See also: What is the weather and climate in Antarctica like?

Do people really live in Oymyakon?

Of course, people do live in Oymyakon. In February 2018, the estimated population of Oymyakon was fewer than 900 inhabitants. In the past, the village once had a peak number of inhabitants of roughly 2500. In Oymyakon, schools are closed when the temperatures drop below -61.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-52 degrees Celsius). Keep reading on to know more interesting facts about Oymyakon right below here.

In February 1993, Oymyakon recorded an unbelievable temperature of -89.9 degrees Fahrenheit (-67.7 degrees Celsius)

Interesting facts about Oymyakon and locals’ lives

Here are more fascinating facts about the coldest place in the world where humans live that you are might not know:

Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon are the only 2 inhabited places on Earth that have recorded temperatures below -76 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 degrees Celsius) every day in January.
July and June are the only months when the temperature in Oymyakon has not dropped below 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius).
Despite the extremely harsh weather conditions, life is quite normal in Oymyakon.
The Oymyakon villagers survive the frightfully cold winters majorly by burning coal and wood for warmth.
Daytime and nighttime in the coldest place in the world where humans live vary according to the changing seasons. The duration of daytime in winter lasts just about 3 hours, but in summer it can be as much as 21 hours.
There aren’t any hotels in Oymyakon and there’s only one school in the whole village.
There is no commercial farming taking place in Oymyakon. The entire village is served by just a single shop and the residents can only buy things for their needs there.
Street vendors in Oymyakon don’t need to refrigerate their meats, fish, or seafood since the air temperature is more than enough to keep them safe until they can be sold.
No crops can be grown in Oymyakon during winter. Locals mostly depend on reindeer meat, horse meat, fish, and milk for their food requirements.
The daily wears of Oymyakon inhabitants are clothes made out of furs. They wear fur hats, fur boots, and fur coats made of reindeer skin to keep the body warm.

There is no commercial farming taking place in Oymyakon

Other coldest places in the world where humans live

Besides Oymyakon - the coldest place in the world where humans live, there are also other inhabited places around the world that also have frightfully cold weather. Here are some of them:

Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia. The temperatures in the winter months in Yakutsk are often below freezing. Notably, its January temperatures are around -41.1 degrees Fahrenheit (-42 degrees Celsius) on average.
Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. January is also the coldest month in this city with mean temperatures are between 8 and -12 degrees Fahrenheit (between -13.3 and -24.4 degrees Celsius). This city is also home to one of the world’s largest ice festivals.
Dudinka, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. Dudinka is one of the world’s most northern towns. In January, the average daily temperatures in Dudinka are between -28 and -12 degrees Fahrenheit (between -33.3 and -13.3 degrees Celsius)
Others. Other inhabited places that also have frightfully cold weather include Fraser (Colorado), Fairbanks (Alaska), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Nursultan (Kazakhstan), Naryn (Kyrgyzstan), and more.

Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia.

Wrapping up

These are about the coldest inhabited place on Earth that we want to introduce you via this post. Well, there are a lot of interesting facts about this place, right? Along with Oymyakon, this writing also included some other inhabited places that are well-known for their harshly cold weather. And that’s all for today’s article “Where is the coldest place in the world where humans live?.” Hope you enjoyed it.