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10 Killer-Cold Places
Coldest Recorded Temperature - Antarctica
If you think temperatures hovering around freezing are cold, consider this: the coldest recorded temperature on record was at the Vostok research station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. Just how cold was it? A ridiculously cold -129 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, visitors to Antarctica don't usually get so close to the South Pole, and temperatures don't get nearly as frigid.
Lowest Average Temperature in the US - International Falls, Minnesota
While International Falls, Minnesota isn't considered the coldest destination in the United States, it does enjoy (or suffer through) the lowest average temp in the country – between 32 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Locals are so proud of this fact that they've claimed the title "Icebox of the Nation" and host an annual Icebox Days festival, complete with frozen turkey bowling.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region
Coldest Inhabited Place - Siberia
Siberia is home to, not one, but three of the world's coldest destinations. The tiny town of Oymyakon is considered the coldest continually inhabited place on earth, with a daily average temperature of -51 degrees Fahrenheit in January and a record low of -96 – the coldest recorded temperature in the Northern Hemisphere. The city of Yakutsk, also in Siberia, has winters so cold that the river can be used as a road.
Coldest Temperature in North America - Yukon Territory, Canada
The town of Snag in Canada's Yukon Territory holds the record lowest temperature in North America – a chilly -83 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, the population of Snag at the time consisted of only eight to ten fur traders and natives, so not too many people had to suffer.
Coldest Place in the United States - Arctic Alaska
The tiny mining settlement of Prospect Creek, located 180 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska, has the distinction of holding the record low temperature in the United States. On January 23, 1975, the temperature dipped to -80 degrees Fahrenheit. While not the coldest, the town of Barrow, located some 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, is the northernmost settlement in the country.
Coldest Temperature in the Contigious States - Stanley, Idaho
The town of Stanley, Idaho – 130 miles east of Boise in the Rocky Mountains – can't compete with Alaska when it comes to cold, but it is considered the coldest city in the lower 48 thanks to a record low of -53 degrees Fahrenheit. If you can brave the brisk weather, the surrounding White Cloud, Boulder and Sawtooth Mountain ranges look pretty spectacular dressed in white.
Coldest Region in the Western Hemisphere - North Ice, Greenland
North Ice, a British research station set in the middle of Greenland's ice sheet, recorded a record low temperature of -87 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the coldest location in the Western Hemisphere. You'd think a place that chilly would only attract visitors in summer, but Greenland has become famous for its five arctic attractions: dog sledding, whale watching, the Northern Lights, pioneering people and lots of ice and snow.
Coldest Capital City - Ulan Bator, Mongolia
The city of Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia located on the steppe 4,429 feet above sea level, has an average annual temperature of just under 28 degrees Fahrenheit. That means it's below freezing for more than half the year – colder than any other capital city in the world.
Lowest Annual Mean Temperature - Eureka, Canada
The average annual temperature in Eureka, located on Ellesmere Island in Canada's Nunavut Territory hovers at about -3 degrees Fahrenheit with a record low of -68. Visiting Eureka will cost you more than your body heat, however. You'll have to pay around $20,000 to charter a plane from the small hamlet of Resolute.
Coldest Mountain - Mt. McKinley, Alaska
Mt. Everest may be the highest peak on hearth, but Denali National Park's very own Mt. McKinley is the coldest, with mid-winter temperatures plunging as low as -75 degrees Fahrenheit. Even in summer, the weather station near the summit has recorded temperatures as low as -23 degrees. Thankfully, visitors can enjoy the views of North America's highest peak from the lower – and warmer – areas of Denali National Park.