Temperatures in Yakutsk, world’s coldest city, plunge to -62.7°C

Temperatures have plunged to minus 62.7 degree Celsius (80.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in Russia’s Yakutsk- which is the coldest city in the world. A report by CNN on Thursday (January 19) citing meteorologists said this is the coldest Yakutsk has been in more than 20 years. A few days back, temperatures in the city had plunged to minus 50 degrees Celsius on January 15 during an abnormally cold snap. Located 5,000 km (3,100 miles) east of Moscow on the permafrost of the Russian Far East, residents of Yakutsk often see temperatures drop well below minus 40.

The cold season in the city lasts for a little over three months starting from mid-November till the end of February and January is the coldest month. 

Speaking to news agency Reuters, Anatasia Gruzdeva, a city resident said on January 15, “You can’t fight with frost. You either adjust and dress accordingly or you suffer and drive a car. It’s quite simple actually. I have two mittens and two scarves. Warm shoes are a must. And you need to cover your head. This is all very important. Also, warm trousers, because the biggest heat loss is in the leg area. If your legs are cold, you are cold. So dress warmly.”

Another resident Nurgusun Starostina said that there are no special secrets to dealing with the cold. “Just dress warmly,” she said. “In layers, like a cabbage!” Starostina, who sells frozen fish at a market without a refrigerator or freezer, told the news agency. 

Last week, a weather forecast by the Gismeteo online service said that temperatures were expected to plunge as low as -52 degree Celsius and -65 degree Celsius in some areas of Yakutsk during the weekend. The residents, however, remained unfazed by the frigid conditions. “To be honest, we’re used to cold snaps. (Minus) 50 or 60, there’s no huge difference for us. We’re used, we dress like this (LOOKS DOWN) in winter, we’re prepared,” resident Marina Zakharyeva told Reuters on January 11. 

Another resident, Maksim Zommer, who came to Yakutsk from St Petersburg, said that at first, one would feel a bit strange to breathe as the air comes inside cold and it does not get entirely warm in the nose. ” But then the body adapts and it’s fine. The problem for me, as well as for many of those who come from the European part, is that my nose freezes. Probably it is because they’re longer than those of the local residents,” Zommer added. 

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.