The coldest inhabited place on Earth is so chilly right now the thermometer broke. In the village of Oymyakon in Siberia, a public thermometer lets tourists and locals see how low the temperatures go. But this week, as temperatures dropped to -79.6 F (-62 C), the thermostat gave up the ghost and went on strike. Some people say their own thermometers went as low as -88.6 F (-67 C), which is almost a record for the village.
Oymyakon is a village of 50 people in Siberia and has a reputation as the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. The coldest place without human habitation is east Antarctica, which was recorded by NASA as reaching a mind-boggling -138.6 F (-94.7 C) in 2013.
Anyone moaning about the weather…could be worse, this is village of Oymyakon in Russia where it is currently -62c!!!! pic.twitter.com/6RONaURGSh
— Greigsy (@Greigsy) January 16, 2018
Related: 7,000 methane gas bubbles in Siberia on the verge of exploding
The village gets just three hours of sunlight in December and a full 21 in July. It is served by just one small store, and the local school closes when the temperatures reach -61.6 F (-52 C). The town gets its name from a local warm spring, which doesn’t freeze, even in the coldest months – and this certainly looks to be one of them.
Via The Telegraph
Images via Maarten Takens
