Yakutsk, the capital of Russia’s Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia also known as the coldest city in the world, is notorious for its freezing temperatures. In the winter, temperatures often drop as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. At one point, it plummeted to minus 80.9 degrees, the coldest it’s been in over two decades, as reported by CNN’s Heather Chen.
Winter’s Icy Embrace: Life in Yakutsk, the Coldest City on Earth
When you wake up in Yakutsk, the coldest city in the world, you immediately bundle up in layers of hats, scarves, and mittens.
You head outside to check on your car, which has been running all night because turning it off could lead to the engine freezing. Visibility is poor due to “ice fog,” a thick mist that forms when it’s too cold for hot air to rise. This is winter in Yakutsk.
Yakutsk Locals’ Resilience in the Face of Biting Cold
The air in Yakutsk can make your skin go numb if exposed, possibly leading to frostbite. However, many locals don’t seem bothered by it. Anastasia Gruzdeva, a resident, says, “You can’t fight it. You either adjust and dress accordingly or you suffer. You don’t really feel the cold in the city. Or maybe it’s just the brain prepares you for it and tells you everything is normal.”
Residents of the Coldest City in the World
Yakutsk is home to more than 300,000 people and is one of Siberia’s fastest-growing regional cities, despite its extreme cold and remote location, 3,100 miles from Moscow.
Situated on the Lena River, it’s a mining city where wages can be higher due to the challenging climate. It also attracts adventurous tourists curious about its frosty reputation.
Nurgusun Starostina, another resident, sells frozen fish at an outdoor market and doesn’t even need a freezer. “Just dress warmly,” she advises. “In layers, like a cabbage!”
Yakutsk Ice Age Wonders
Yakutsk is also known for its association with the Ice Age, particularly the woolly mammoth. The city houses the Mammoth Museum, where visitors can view woolly mammoth fossils, and the Melnikov Permafrost Institute’s Underground Laboratory, which features fossils in below-freezing temperatures.
The Coldest City in the World Unique Architecture
The city is built on continuous permafrost, meaning frozen soil is present even in the summer. Many buildings are constructed on stilts due to these conditions, which can threaten foundations when the frost thaws.
Residents Adaptability
Life in this freezing city can be tough, especially when temperature records are broken. Yet, residents have found ways to adapt. This is doubly true for smaller villages like Oymyakon, a rural locality in the Sakha Republic.
Living in Oymyakon comes with unique challenges. “A guy I was staying with left his car running all night, but even so, in the morning, the drive shaft was completely frozen,” photographer Amos Chapple recalled to Smithsonian magazine’s Natasha Geiling in 2015.
“Without any ceremony, he pulled out a little flamethrower, went under the truck, and started fanning the bottom with it. It’s part of the toolkit for living in Oymyakon, a little flamethrower.”
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