The coldest city in Russia: where is it?

If you are tired of the cold, then we advise you to go to the Republic of Yakutia. It is likely that your concept of cold weather will change completely after this. The small town of Verkhoyansk is the coldest city in Russia. In January, it is always stable -40 ^о С, and the light day lasts no more than 3 hours a day.

Where is the Pole of Cold?

Disputes about the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere are between two settlements in Yakutia - a small town Verkhoyansk and Oimyakon village. Nevertheless, the official status of the coldest place in the northern latitudes is Verkhoyansk. In 1892, a record low temperature was registered here in Russia and -67.8 ° C throughout the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, according to unofficial observations in 1924, Olimakon recorded -71.2 ° C. According to other unconfirmed reports in 1938 Year in this settlement the temperature column dropped to -77.8 ^o C.

It is also noteworthy that in the summer months, hot weather prevails in these settlements. For example, in Verkhoyansk, the temperature was recorded + 37.3 ° C, and in Oymyakon - +34.6 ° C.

Hard to reach Verkhoyansk

In this small town there are only 1200 people, and on the whole it does not look much like a city, but Verkhoyansk does not lose its status. It was founded 375 years ago. The symbol of the city is the mammoth. Getting to the coldest city in Russia is quite difficult. In the summer, there is no transport connection with the city - only an airplane. This is primarily due to the terrible condition of local roads. Because of the mud in the warm season on federal roads can not drive even KAMAZ.

Tourists here are extremely disadvantageous to carry, as the cost of such a tour is very high. The price of the air ticket is just cosmic - 32,600 rubles per hour 50 minutes of flight. For comparison, we note that the ticket Moscow-Yakutsk costs 14,000 rubles for as much as 6.5 hours of flight. To get to the coldest city in Russia, it is necessary to fly by plane from Yakutsk to Batagaya, and from there another 2 hours will have to go by taxi. In addition, vacant seats on this flight are not always. Since the collapse of the USSR, the local airport has been closed and has not yet planned to break away.

The main street of the city is Novodvorova Street. There is a small lake Baikhal in Verkhoyansk. Its water fills the river Yana. In the town there is a museum "Pole of Cold". Since 1917 the coldest city in Russia has been a place of exile. The local population is engaged in livestock and fur trade (squirrel, sable, Arctic fox).

The indigenous inhabitants of Verkhoyansk every day come into conflict with extreme weather conditions. The basis of the diet of the population is meat and fat. A liter of gasoline costs 45 rubles here, and transport does not jam in the cold at all, since there is a high probability that it will not start anymore. Drinking water people begin to stock up from October, when the ice on the river is not very thick and it can be easily sawed. Local residents say that they begin to freeze only when the temperature reaches -55 ° C.

The Harsh Capital of Yakutia

Another city in which record low temperatures are observed is Yakutsk. It is a remote settlement that is located on the Lena River in Eastern Siberia. The city was founded in 1632. The distance from it to Irkutsk is 1849 km, to Moscow - more than 5000 km. The population of Yakutsk is about 270,000 people.

Local residents are experiencing all the hardships of extreme temperatures every day. In winter the temperature is stable -40 ^о С, but sometimes the temperature drops to -64 ^о С. It is noteworthy that the temperature often rises up to +30 ^о С in summer. This practically coldest city in Russia is often fettered by thick fog.

Yakutsk is considered the most important center for diamond mining. A fifth of all diamonds in the world are mined here. The city also deals with logging, the production of building materials, the food industry, etc. The Institute of Permafrost is located in the capital of Yakutia. In this institution, they study frozen soils and issue approvals for the construction of structures on such soil.

Causes of abnormal cold

Such temperature jumps can be easily explained. Blame the sharp regional climate of the region. This type of climate occurs only in the northern latitudes, since in the Southern Hemisphere at the same latitude the land itself is absent. In this regard, the coldest cities in Russia are located exactly in Yakutia.