The Coldest Places on Earth

• Records keep falling

Extreme cold isn't only a historical curiosity; new records continue to be set. In March 2026, Vostok Station recorded -76.3°C, the coldest March temperature ever measured anywhere on Earth, breaking the previous record set at Dome Fuji in 2013. That same winter, Braeburn in Canada's Yukon dropped to -55.7°C, its coldest reading since 1999, while Delyankir, Russia, fell to -58.8°C during a stretch when temperatures failed to climb above -50°C for several days.

• Why do these places get so cold

A handful of factors combine to create Earth's most extreme cold: high elevation, which thins the atmosphere and allows heat to escape more easily; the polar night, which brings months of continuous darkness and uninterrupted cooling; extremely dry air, which holds less heat than humid air; highly reflective snow and ice surfaces; and isolation from the ocean, which would otherwise moderate temperatures. Antarctica's interior combines all five factors at once, which is why it dominates the record books.

• Staying safe in extreme cold

For anyone traveling to or working in extreme cold environments, a few precautions matter far more than usual:
●    Layer and cover exposed skin. Frostbite can set in within minutes at these temperatures, often before it's even noticeable.
●    Never travel alone. Equipment failure or a fall in extreme cold can become life-threatening very quickly without backup.
●    Keep engines and equipment running. In places like Oymyakon, allowing machinery to fully cool can mean it never starts again.
●    Watch for signs of hypothermia. Confusion, slurred speech, and drowsiness are early warning signs that require immediate action.
These places show just how far conditions on Earth can stretch beyond ordinary experience — and how, in a few remarkable cases, people and science have found ways to endure there anyway.