World’s Coldest City in Siberia Sees Only 4 Hours of Sun Daily as No More Than 20 Minutes Can Be Spent Outdoors in Winter

The world’s coldest city, Yakutsk, lies deep inside Siberia 3,100 miles from Moscow , the capital of Russia , and in winter it is prone to temperatures as low as -58 °F.

Knewz.com has learned that despite the extreme lows experienced in this subarctic territory, it is a mining city that is home to 355,000 people.

According to an article published by Atlas Obscura (via Slate ), the longest a person can stand outside in winter is between five and ten minutes and even the locals cannot cope with the cold for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Another characteristic of this icy territory is the sun only shows itself at about 10h40 and, in the winter, even later.

It further notes that temperatures below -70 °F are not unheard of. At this point wearing glasses outdoors becomes an injury hazard as they are likely to freeze on the wearer’s face and not be removed without tearing away chunks of skin.

For car owners, it is imperative to keep the engine running at all times while outdoors. Failing to do so will result in frozen oil and fuel, and a broken-down vehicle until spring —while back home, garages are heated and batteries are wrapped in special blankets.

As for the human that has to be outdoors, “the right clothing is crucial. For maximum warmth, it's all about fur: reindeer boots, muskrat hats, and fox coats. Such gear is pricey—a pair of decent reindeer boots cost around $600—but it's a solid investment in not freezing to death,” per Atlas Obscura .

Another aspect affecting life in this city is the fact that it is perched on a layer of permafrost, meaning; the ground below is constantly frozen resulting in most houses and businesses being built on stilts.

The winter months in the region are October to April and the thaws of Spring often spell severe flooding. The warmest month is July - which is the extent of summer in the region - when temperatures reach highs of 70°F.

As uninhabitable as this may sound, residents have learned to adapt to the cold. Anastasia Gruzdeva, during a particularly cold snap in 2023, told Reuters : “You can't fight it. You either adjust and dress accordingly or you suffer.”

“You don't really feel the cold in the city. Or maybe it's just the brain prepares you for it, and tells you everything is normal.”

A fishmonger at the local market, Nurgusun Starostina, who sells her wares without the use of a fridge said “just dress warmly in layers, like a cabbage.”

Even though it is the world’s coldest city, it is not the closest city to the North Pole . The record holder for the latter is Norway ’s Longyearbyen with a population of 2617 people.

The town boasts restaurants , a school, a church, and a cinema, with relatively warm lows of -4.0°F.