Top 10 Coldest Places in the World
Cold places abound on the earth. So, in order to make the following top ten
list, the place has to have had at least two incidences of record cold
temperatures. Most all, if not all, of the bone-chilling locales are found in
Antarctica. However, to make the compilation more varied, other record-breaking
cold spots are included in the postings. Otherwise, the list would only comprise
places located in the Antarctic.
10) Rogers
Pass, Montana (USA)
Rogers Pass sits at just over 5,600 feet above sea level and is found on the
Continental Divide. Located between Great Falls and Missoula, the Pass was named
for one of the Great Northern Railway surveyors, A.B. Rogers, who discovered the
area in 1887. Close by is the Helena National Forest which covers more than
980,000 acres of terrain that was once traversed and surveyed during the Lewis
and Clark Expedition.
Rogers Pass is Adjacent to the Gates of the Mountains
Wilderness Area:
By Montanabw
via Wikimedia Commons
While Rogers Pass can get mighty cold in the months of March and April, it
seems to be a favorite spot for migrating birds, especially Canadian geese,
swans, and eagles. Temperatures during the early spring have been registered at
almost 70 below zero on the Fahrenheit scale.
9) Fort Selkirk
in the Yukon (Canada)
Fort Selkirk is a former trading post located on the Yukon River nestled at the
convergence of the Pelly River in Canada's Yukon Territory. It would become an
important supply point along the Yukon River, but after the Klondike Highway
circumvented making stops at the once bustling location, the trading area was
essentially abandoned by the mid 1950s.
Pelly River and Crossing:
During that time,
sternwheelers operated on the river. Today, people can only access the remote
Canadian town by plane or by boat. The town has posted a low of -75 degrees
Fahrenheit. It’s no surprise then that no commercial enterprises are operating
in the Yukon locale.
Historic Buildings at Fort Selkirk:
By Maedward
via Wikimedia Commons
8) Prospect
Creek, Alaska (USA)
Prospect Creek in Alaska is considered a settlement and is located about 180
miles north of Fairbanks. It was once an established camp during the
construction of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline.
Today, Prospect Creek has the noted distinction of having recorded the
coldest temperature in the U.S. That record was set in 1971 on January 23rd. At
that time, the mercury plunged to -80 degrees Fahrenheit. However, even with its
temperature extremes, Prospect Creek is still home to an abundance of wildlife,
some of which include bald eagles and bears. The settlement is also close to
Moore Creek, where quartz and gold are both mined.
7) Snag, Yukon
(Canada)
Resting in the White River Valley, adjacent to the Alaska Highway, Snag is a
village which is just south of Beaver Creek. First established during the
Klondike Gold Rush, the village was once the location of an airfield for the
military. The facility shut down in 1968.
Klondikers Carrying Supplies Ascending the Chilkoot Pass in
1898:
One report in 1947 shows that the population in Snag consisted of around 10
fur traders and natives and 20 airport personnel. Today, the area is often
depicted by sharp, numbing winds and desolate foggy skies. The temperature has
dipped as much as -81 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.
Hunker Creek Valley, Klondike, Yukon:
By Janothird
via Wikimedia Commons
6) Eismitte in
Greenland
Located in the direct center of Greenland, Eismitte proves that Greenland is
anything but green. Eismitte, known as Mid-Ice, in English, was the location of
the ’30 to ’31 Arctic expedition into Greenland’s interior. The journey began in
July 1930 and lasted until August of the following year. German scientist Alfred
Wegener, a polar researcher, died during the expedition.
Station Eismitte in 1930:
The lowest temperature
recorded at the site is -85 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun stays out from May 13th
to July 30th of each year and takes a hiatus from November 23rd through January
20th. The area is covered in darkness during that time.
Wegener Station "Central ice" - Ice Thickness Determined to
be 2700 Meters:
5) North Ice in
Greenland
Situated on the ice of inland Greenland, North Ice was once a research station.
Operated and manned by James Simpson of the British North Greenland Expedition,
North Ice registered a record low of -87 degrees Fahrenheit in 1954. The
expedition at the station recorded its findings from 1952 to 1954.
Northeast Greenland Ice Stream:
4) Verkhoyansk,
Russia
Verkhoyansk is a Russian town in the Sakha Republic. Sitting on the Yana River,
the icy town is close to the Arctic Circle. Not only is it renowned for its low,
low temperature extremes, the town also features the biggest temperature
variations from winter to summer. For example, January temperatures average
around 50 degrees below zero on the Fahrenheit scale, and make a leap to about
62 degrees Fahrenheit in the summertime. The town’s lowest recorded temperature
is -90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pole of Cold of the Northern Hemisphere Monument at
Verkhoyansk's Entrance:
Verkhoyansk, which has been a home to prominent political exiles, seems to be
a haven more for wolves than people too. In January 2012, a strange event
occurred. Four hundred wolves descended on the town and destroyed over 300
horses.
Valley Basin of Verkhoyansk with Larix gmelinii Forest:
3) Oymyakon,
Russia
Containing about 470 people, Oymyakon is a village that is situated in east
Yakutia in the Khrabet Mountain Valley.
Near Oymyakon in Yakutia, Russia:
By Maarten Takens
via Wikimedia Commons
Arctic winters are long in this small
settlement, whose days vary from only three hours in the wintertime to around 20
hours in summer. The lowest recorded temperature in this icy enclave was posted
at -96 degrees Fahrenheit.
Photographer Maarten Takens in Oymyakon:
2) Plateau
Station in Antarctica
While this U.S. research station has not been operational since 1969, it did
record some very cold temperatures when it was opened. At one point, the
Fahrenheit reading dropped to almost -130 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.
On the Surface of the Antarctic Plateau:
By Stephen Bannister
via Wikimedia Commons
Plateau Station is an Inactive American Research Traverse
Support Base:
By U.S. Navy Seabee Museum
via Wikimedia Commons
1) Vostok in
Antarctica
Vostok in Antarctica takes top billing as being the coldest place on the earth.
A Russian research station, Vostok is located in Princess Elizabeth Land in the
inland part of the Antarctic continent.
Vostok Station and Layout of the Camp - Caves Were Dug for
Storage:
Lying at the southern part of the Pole
of Cold, Vostok’s coldest established temperature is almost -139 degrees
Fahrenheit.
French, Russian, and American Scientists with Unprocessed
Ice Cores:
It is indeed a cold world when you see just how the temperature can take a
plunge – something to think about as you brave those balmy winter temperatures
that rest around 30 degrees on a Fahrenheit scale.
Locations
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