Where is the coldest place on Earth? (Top 10 Coldest Spots)

Venturing into the world’s coldest destinations may align differently than typical vacation plans, but these places are renowned for their extreme cold. If you’re considering a visit, be prepared to bundle up, as they hold the record for experiencing the coldest temperatures ever documented.

1. Eastern Antarctic Plateau, Antarctica (-94°C)

The Eastern Antarctic Plateau claims the title of the coldest place on Earth. Satellite data collected between 2004 and 2016 across Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, an expanse comparable to Australia, suggests air temperatures could plummet to around -94°C. If accurate, these remote measurements would establish the coldest air temperature recorded, with land temperatures potentially dropping to -98°C.

2. Vostok Station Antarctica (-89.2°C)

Situated in the Southern Pole of Cold, the Vostok research station, established by the Soviet Union in 1957, holds the record for the lowest directly recorded air temperature. Thermometers at this location reached a chilling -89.2°C in July 1983. Notably, it is one of the driest places on Earth, receiving approximately 20 millimetres of precipitation annually in snow.

3. Amundsen-Scott Station, Antarctica (-82.8°C)

Positioned at the South Pole, the Amundsen-Scott Station experiences extreme conditions, with six months of sunlight in summer and six months of total darkness in winter. The coldest temperature recorded in this part of the East Antarctic Plateau was -82.8°C in June 1982, while the highest temperature reached a relatively milder -12.3°C on Christmas Day in 2011.

4. Denali, Alaska, United States of America (-73°C)

Formerly known as Mount McKinley, Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America. With an average temperature of around -10 °C, only half of those attempting to climb it reach the summit. Between 1950 and 1969, a weather station recorded a temperature of about -73°C, with wind chills potentially dropping as low as -83.4°C.

5. Klinck Station, Greenland (-69.6°C)

The Klinck weather station holds the record for the coldest place in the Arctic Circle. Located in central Greenland, it surpassed the previous record held by Oymyakon by approximately 2 degrees in December 1991, reaching an astonishing -69.6°C. Despite these frigid temperatures, Greenland’s ice is rapidly melting.

6. Oymyakon, Siberia, Russia (-67.7°C)

Oymyakon claims the title of the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. The Arctic Circle’s Northern Pole of Cold recorded its lowest temperature of -67.7°C in 1933. With a population of fewer than 500, schools close if the temperature drops below -55°C, an average minimum during winter.

7. North Ice, Greenland (-66.1°C)

Established during the British North Greenland Expedition in the 1950s, North Ice held the record-low temperature in North America. In 1954, the temperature plunged to -66.1°C.

8. Yakutsk, Siberia, Russia (-64.4°C)

Yakutsk, one of the coldest cities globally, is located on permafrost. Despite brief but warm summers, with temperatures reaching 38.4°C in 2011, it endures long and extremely cold winters. In 1891, temperatures dropped to -64.4°C. Located along the Lena River, the winter months often bring conditions cold enough for the river to freeze, creating a solid surface suitable for use as a road.

9. Snag, Yukon Territory, Canada (-62.8°C)

In 1947, the small village of Snag in the Yukon of northwest Canada, with a population of around 10 First Nation people, served as an emergency landing strip during World War II and later as a weather station. It recorded temperatures as low as -62.8°C, prompting researchers to retest their equipment to ensure accuracy.

10. Prospect Creek, Alaska, United States of America (-62.1°C)

Originally established as a settlement for workers of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in the late 1970s, Prospect Creek is now virtually abandoned. In January 1971, a bone-chilling -62.1°C was recorded, and the settlement still boasts some of the coldest winter temperatures in the USA.