THE WORLD’S COLDEST CITY PLUNGES TO -62.7C
Yakutsk in eastern Siberia is currently not ideal for those afraid of the cold. With large parts of Russia currently experiencing record-low temperatures, temperatures in the world’s coldest city have plunged to minus 62.7C, two days after the city’s previously set record of -50C.
The city is the capital city of the country’s Sakha Republic and is located in eastern Siberia.
Even by Russian standards, winters in this part of the country can be extreme. Reports by locals suggested that the winter of 2018 caused their eyelashes to freeze.
CNN reports that experts say that the extreme cold poses serious physical risks. The air is cold enough to numb exposed skin, making frostbite a constant hazard.
One resident told Reuters that it’s a case of adjusting to life in Yakutsk if you don’t want to suffer.
“You can’t fight the cold. You either adjust and dress accordingly or you suffer. Just dress warmly. In layers, like a cabbage.”
According to the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, the city is shrouded in “ice fog” during winter. It occurs when “air is so cold that hot air from houses, people and cars cannot rise.”
The university recently advised new incoming students that “it is not a good idea to walk out in the streets in winter when the temperature falls below -40C”.
Image credit: CNN