Oymyakon temperature record. The village of Oymyakon is the coldest settlement in the world

Located in the east of Yakutia, not far from the Magadan region, away from the highway. The average temperature in January is -48 ° C. Even schoolchildren will not be surprised by frost at 56 ° C. And the summer heat reaches + 35 ° C. The annual temperature drop is more than 100 ° C, and according to this indicator, Oymyakon ranks first in the world. In summer there are white nights, and the duration of daylight hours in winter is only three hours! It was here in 1938 that Soviet meteorologists recorded a record temperature of - 77.8 ° C, but this is usually questioned. According to official data, the record minimum air temperature at the airport near the village of Tamtor was -64.3 ° C. With all this, the residents of Oymyakon do not believe that they live in some kind of icy "hell", but find their harsh village cute and even cozy.

Harsh climate - harsh people

The village of Oymyakon is located in the Yakut ulus of the same name, the center of which is the village of Ust-Neru. Now only 462 people live in Oymyakon. The village outwardly differs little from the villages of central Russia - houses, mainly chopped huts. It turns out that the Russian log hut is perfectly resistant to the most severe Yakut frosts. Most houses are still heated by stove heating, that is, wood. For the winter, each house, including a bathhouse and a garage, needs about 50,000 rubles for heating. Despite the remoteness, there is Wi-Fi in the village, and according to rumors, every resident, young and old, has an account in the WhatsApp messenger - this helps to contact each other in case of an emergency. However, civilization has not touched local residents in everything: even in the most severe frost, you will have to go to the toilet before the booth, which is located on the street. The toilet, as a rule, has a light, but there is no heating, and a visit to this institution for an unaccustomed person can be a "fun" attraction. But the residents of Yakutia are trying to build new houses according to all the rules of comfort. The inhabitants of the Oymyakonsky ulus live mainly by cattle breeding - they breed unprepossessing, but very hardy, shaggy Yakut horses, which are adapted to the most severe frosts and know how to dig grass from under the snow. Also residents are engaged in reindeer herding and hunting. Unlike the spoiled city kids, Oymyakon schoolchildren do not go to school only when the frost reaches -50 ° C. This is due to their safety - in such a cold, buses that carry the children home can refuse. The fact is that at low temperatures the metal does not withstand, bursts, fuel consumption doubles, and at the slightest stop, the rubber of tires deforms in the cold. Of course, knowing the peculiarities of the climate, local residents do not leave their cars on the street overnight, but drive them into warm garages. There are two museums in Oymyakon: the local history museum and the GULAG museum, which was opened by one of the local residents. The fact is that in Soviet times there were 29 camps around the villages, and local hunters, on orders from above, caught fugitives trying to reach the Big Land.

But why is it so cold here? After all, though Oymyakon is located beyond the Arctic Circle, there are territories much to the north of it. The same Wrangel Island, for example! However, the cold pole is located right here. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, Oymyakon is located at an altitude of 745 meters above sea level, that is, here, by definition, it should be four degrees colder than on the plain. Secondly, Oymyakon has a sharply continental climate and the annual temperature drop is more than 100 ° C, as evidenced by this. Thirdly, warmer (relatively, of course) air from the Arctic Ocean enters other regions of Yakutia and Chukotka. These air masses never reach Oymyakon, because the high peaks of the famous Chersky ridge, a huge mountain range, whose peaks reach 3,003 meters (Pobeda Mountain), stand in their way. Another mountain range reliably covers Oymyakon from the penetration of oceanic air currents from the east. And finally, fourthly, the village itself is located, as it were, in a bowl between the hills and the cooled air from the mountain peaks "flows" into it from all sides. Even in summer, the temperature can drop by 20 ° C at night. Summer heat at the Pole of Cold is associated with the presence of hot springs gushing out of the ground.

Oymyakon is best known as one of the "Poles of Cold" on the planet, according to a number of parameters, the Oymyakon Valley is the most severe place on Earth, where a permanent population lives.

Geography

Oymyakon is located in the polar latitudes, but south of the Arctic Circle. The length of the day varies from 4 hours 36 minutes (December 22) to 20 hours 28 minutes (June 22). White nights are observed from May 24 to July 21, when it is light all day long. Nights with astronomical twilight last from April 13 to August, and nights with nautical twilight last from May 1 to August 13.

The village is located at an altitude of 745 meters above sea level.

The nearest settlements are Khara-Tumul (closest) and Bereg-Yurdya. Also not far from the village are the settlements of Tomtor, Yuchyugei and Airport.

Climate

Oymyakon has a rather difficult type of climate. The climate is influenced by the latitude of the village, equal to 63.27 degrees (circumpolar latitudes), great distance from the ocean (sharply continental climate), being at an altitude of 741 meters above sea level (altitudinal zonality affects). Altitude lowers the temperature by 4 degrees compared to that which would be observed at sea level, and increases the cooling of the air at night. In winter, cold air flows into the village, as it is located in a basin. Summer is short, with a large difference in daily temperatures, during the day it can be +30 ° C and higher, but at night the temperature can drop by 15-20 ° C. The average annual atmospheric pressure in Oymyakon is 689 millimeters of mercury. The absolute minimum temperature at Oymyakon airport is -64.3 ° C.

At the moment, the authorities of Yakutia have resolved the dispute in favor of Verkhoyansk, but the question remains open: a number of scientists and meteorological observations unambiguously indicate the advantage of Oymyakon in the dispute over the "frosty primacy of the Northern Hemisphere." Although the minimum average monthly temperature in Verkhoyansk in January is 3 degrees lower than in Oymyakon (-57.1 ° C in 1892), and also lower on average in January, February, April, June, July, August and December, according to today's data the average annual temperature in Oymyakon is 0.3 degrees lower than in Verkhoyansk, and the absolute minimum, according to unofficial data, is 12.2 degrees lower. If you take the official data, you get a temperature rise of 4.4 degrees.

Comparison of the climate of Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk
Indicator	Jan.	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temperature difference, average temperature in Oymyakon in comparison with Verkhoyansk	+0.9	+0,6	-0.3	+2.6	-1,3	+0.3	+0,2	+0,6	-0,4	-2,6	-1,3	+0,5

Temperature observation technique

Clarity should be made regarding the location of the meteorological observations. Regular meteorological observations are carried out at the Oymyakon airport, which is located 40 km from the village of the same name and 2 km from the village Tomtor... However, when talking about temperature minima, the name is always used Oymyakon... This is due to the fact that Oymyakon is not only the name of the village, but also the name of the area.

In addition to extreme cold weather in winter, summer temperatures in Oymyakon are higher than +30 ° С. On July 28, 2010, a heat record was recorded in the village (as well as monthly and absolute). Then the air warmed up to +34.6 ° C. The difference between the absolute maximums and minimums of temperature is more than one hundred degrees, and according to this indicator, Oymyakon occupies one of the first places in the world. Oymyakon also has the largest amplitude of average monthly temperatures.

According to unofficial data, in 1938 it was -77.8 ° С in the village. At the Vostok Antarctic station, the lowest temperature on Earth (-89.2 ° C) was noted, but the station is located at an altitude of 3488 m above sea level, and, if we bring both temperature indicators to sea level, then the coldest place on the planet Oymyakon will be recognized (-68.3 and -77.6 degrees, respectively).

Oymyakon climate (data from 1930).
Indicator	Jan.	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Absolute maximum, ° C	−16,6	−12,5	2,0	11,7	26,2	31,1	34,6	32,9	23,7	11,0	−2,1	−6,5	34,6
Average maximum, ° C	−42,5	−35,4	−20,8	−3,7	9,1	20,0	22,7	18,2	8,9	−9,2	−30,7	−42	−8,8
Average temperature, ° C	−46,4	−42	−31,2	−13,6	2,7	12,6	14,9	10,3	2,3	−14,8	−35,2	−45,5	−15,5
Average minimum, ° C	−50	−47,3	−40	−23,9	−4,7	4,0	6,2	2,6	−3,7	−20,4	−39,3	−48,8	−22,1
Absolute minimum, ° C	−65,4	−64,6	−60,6	−46,4	−28,9	−9,7	−9,3	−17,1	−25,3	−47,6	−58,5	−62,8	−65,4
Precipitation rate,

Incredible facts

Welcome to Oymyakon, the coldest village on Earth, where the average temperature in January is -50 C, and the eyelashes of local residents freeze as soon as they go outside.

Oymyakon is best known as one of the "Poles of Cold" on Earth.

If we take into account some parameters, then we can say that the Oymyakon Valley is the most severe settlement on Earth.

Temperature in Oymyakon

Winter 2017-2018 turned out to be so severe that the new electronic thermometer broke down as soon as it registered - 62 degrees Celsius.

The official weather station at the cold pole registered -59 degrees, but locals say that according to their thermometers, the temperature dropped to -67 C, which is 1 degree higher than the permissible temperature for a place with a permanent population.

A digital thermometer in Oymyakon was installed in 2017 to help attract tourists, but due to record low temperatures, it was out of order.

Oymyakon on the map

1. Today about 500 people live in the village. In the 1920s and 1930s, reindeer herders stayed here so that their herd could drink water from the thermal spring. This is where the name of the village comes from, which translates as "water that does not freeze".

2. In 1933, a temperature of -67.7 C was recorded, which is still the lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere. The temperature dropped below only in Antarctica, but there is no permanent population there.

3. Daily problems faced by locals include the following: freezing paste in the pen, freezing glasses, which then stick to the face, and quickly draining batteries and rechargeable batteries.

4. They say that the locals do not even jam their cars, as they will be impossible to bring. Truckers even work for several months without turning off the engine. However, sometimes even this does not help, because after a 4-hour parking, the car simply freezes, and its wheels become stone.

5. The average life expectancy in this village is 55 years, and most of all residents are afraid of funerals. The fact is that it is very difficult to bury the deceased due to the fact that the earth is as hard as stone. To soften it, first a fire is kindled, after which the hot coals are pushed aside and a small hole is dug. This process is repeated for several days until a hole is deep enough for the coffin.

6. To get to Oymyakon from Moscow, you need to fly to Yakutsk for 6 hours, then drive another 1,000 km along a snow-covered track. But in the summer you can try to fly to the village by plane, but you will have to land at your own peril and risk, since the airport is old, there is an abandoned kindergarten nearby, and all this is surrounded by a large unplowed field on which the planes land.

Oymyakon - the pole of cold

7. Children are wrapped up here so that they are not able to move independently. Here's one example:

* First, they put on warm underwear, and woolen pants on top, after which they pull on wadded, thicker pants.

* Knitted socks and felt boots must be worn on your feet.

* After this, the child is wrapped in a tsigay fur coat, first one hat is put on the head, and another tsigay hat on top.

* Hare mittens are put on the child's hands, and his face is very tightly tied with a scarf so that only eyebrows and eyes remain in sight.

* A fur coat is put on the stove, which is then laid on a sled, the child is carried in his arms, put on a sled and taken to kindergarten.

8. In winter, it is very dreary here, since the day lasts only 4 hours, while people still stay in their homes and warm themselves by the stove.

9. You can go to school until the temperature drops to -60 degrees. At the same time, the students sit in their coats, and together they warm the pens with their breath so that they can write with them.

10. All the clothes of local residents are made of natural fur, since everything artificial simply breaks in the cold. High boots are worn on the feet, which are made from the skin of the lower part of a deer's leg. It is better for the fur coat to reach the shoes, since if it is shorter, you can seriously freeze your shins and knees. Only a mink, arctic fox or fox hat is worn on the head.

Oymyakon, Russia

11. The most favorite holiday of all local residents is the holiday of the North. Especially on this day, three very important and long-awaited guests come to Oymyakon at once - Ded Moroz from Veliky Ustyug, Santa Claus straight from Lapland, as well as Yakut Santa Claus Chishan, who is considered the guardian of the cold.

12. All foreigners are shocked by what they see. Many do not know what felt boots are, and in order to help them, locals hang up signs "right" and "left" on each felt boot.

13. Women here, like all women in the world, want to look good. Therefore, even at a temperature of -60 C, some wear stockings, go on high heels and in a short skirt. In this case, of course, a very long fur coat is put on top.

14. Residents do not need refrigerators, as locals simply keep frozen fish, oil, meat and berries on the veranda of their house.

15. All villagers know about the rules of living at very low temperatures. One of them says that a person is able to withstand low temperatures if he is not afraid of them, or rather, he is not afraid to freeze. According to scientists, a panic fear of freezing forces the freezing process, and if a person has given himself a clear statement "I'm not cold!", Then such a psychological technique significantly increases the period of survival in the cold.

Complaining that you are cold? Say thank you that you do not live in the village of Oymyakon! In January, the temperature here can stay firmly at minus 50 ° C for weeks, so it is not surprising that this settlement is rightfully called the coldest in the world. The lowest temperature in the history of Oymyakon was ... -71.2 ºС !!!

(20 photos total)

1. About 500 people live in the village. In the 20s and 30s it was a stopover for reindeer herders.

2. However, the Soviet government in an attempt to "settle down" the nomads, since considered them uncontrollable, made this settlement permanent.

3. Here, who is not so cold in such frosts!

4. Ironically, the word Oymyakon means "non-freezing water" - in honor of the nearby hot spring.

5. This monument marks the lowest record temperature in the history of the village.

9.Alexander Platonov, 52, a retired teacher, went to the toilet behind his house. Many travel companies offer to visit the village and try to live in such conditions.

10. By the way, the only local school closes only at temperatures below -52 ° C.

11. Oymyakon lies about two days' drive from the city of Yakutsk - the capital of the region.

12. It is served by two airports, the capital has a university, schools, theaters and museums. In the photo: the road to Oymyakon, which was nicknamed "The Road of Bones".

13. Toilet at a gas station on the way to Oymyakon.

14. And this is a student of Yakutsk at a bus stop in the capital.

15. Common problems that Oymyakon residents face every day: ink in pens freezes, batteries lose power, and many locals leave cars running all day. afraid they just might not turn them on anymore.

16. Another problem: the funeral. In this freezing cold, it can take up to three days to dig a grave in the frozen ground. In this case, the earth must first be warmed up with a fire and put hot coals around the edges.

17. And here is the gas station on the way to Oymyakon.

Oymyakon is the pole of cold, one of the harshest places on earth, where people constantly live and work. Children go to school at -50 ° C, streams do not freeze even at -70 ° C, and on the street you can meet women in nylon stockings. "My Planet" has collected facts and opinions of local residents about this unique Russian region, which is becoming more and more popular with tourists.

Population

512 people live in the Yakut village of Oymyakon (according to 2012 data). Basically, people are engaged in cattle breeding, reindeer husbandry, and fishing. In summer, residents go to hay in the so-called annuals. There is civilization in Oymyakon: there is the Internet, cellular communications, and the airport, which was created during the Second World War. There is a school, hospital, club, kindergarten, music school, library, bakery, gas station, gym and shops. Prices are higher than in Moscow: for example, a loaf of bread costs 50 rubles.

Days and nights

Photo: Amos Chapple

The shortest day in December lasts three hours. But in summer there are white nights - light all day long. Summer is characterized by a large temperature difference: during the day it can be +30 ° C, and at night - below zero.

Primary school education is canceled at -52 ° C. At -56 ° C, the whole school does not study.

Standing cold

Photo: Dmitry Chistoprudov

The village is located at an altitude of 741 m above sea level in a depression where cold air flows in winter. There is no wind, but, as the locals put it, the stagnant cold penetrates right through.

Temperature minimum, according to different measurements, ranges from -77.8 to -82 ° C. Scientists and meteorologists are in constant dispute about which settlement in Yakutia should be considered the main north pole of cold: Oymyakon or Verkhoyansk. According to the latest data, the absolute annual minimums in Oymyakon are 3.5 ° C lower than in Verkhoyansk.

The temperature difference between summer and winter reaches 104 ° C - according to this indicator, Oymyakon occupies one of the first places in the world. +34.6 ° C - the highest temperature recorded in the summer of 2010.

There is snow in Oymyakon from 213 to 229 days a year.

Yakut truckers do not turn off their engines for months

Children

Photo: Reuters

Small children are dressed according to the principle of cabbage, leaving only their eyes open; you can only walk on a sled, since the baby is unlikely to be able to walk alone in such an outfit. Primary school is canceled at -52 ° C. At -56 ° C, the whole school does not study. Children are eagerly awaiting frost so they can spend the entire short polar day outdoors, rolling downhill slides.

Cloth

Photo: Amos Chapple

Adults dress in fur coats, down jackets, fur hats, high fur boots made of reindeer skin, put on two or three pairs of tights, pants and socks. A hat to the forehead and a scarf to the bridge of the nose save from frostbite of the face and nose. But there are still cases of frostbite. However, nothing will change the female nature: there were cases when women at -50 ° C put on nylon tights under a fur coat and managed not to freeze.

Cars

Photo: Olga Vodopyanova

Cars are parked in heated garages, before leaving, the driver warms up the engine for 10-15 minutes. If there is no garage, then the engine is not turned off, but, as they say in Yakutia, they are chattering. Additional stoves are installed in the cabins, Arctic diesel fuel is used (diesel fuel is mixed with kerosene). Many drivers make a special home-made pipe for heating fuel. Yakut truckers do not turn off their engines for months.

The cow can only be released from a warm barn at -30 ° C, putting on a special bra on the udder so that it does not freeze

Nature

Photo: Spiridon Sleptsov

Oymyakon has a beautiful and unique nature: there are streams that do not freeze in 70-degree frost, and ice that does not melt in 30-degree heat. Recently, tourism has been very developed: foreigners and Russian travelers from all over the country come. Local attractions include museums, GULAG camps, the Moltan rock and Labynkyr lake, full of secrets and legends, and, of course, the bitter frost itself. In spring, the festival "Oymyakon - Pole of Cold" is held annually, which attracts Fathers Frost from all over the world. Tourists are advised to dress very warmly: wadded pants, a pair of hats, fur sweaters, reindeer fur boots and a scarf with which you can wrap your face will not interfere.

Animals

Photo: Unknown author

Of all the animals, only dogs, horses and reindeer can endure the cold of Oymyakon. A cow can only be released from a warm barn at -30 ° C by putting on a special bra on the udder so that it does not freeze. Cats are not allowed outside in winter, but if the animal jumps out on its own, frostbite is guaranteed. On very cold days, the owners let dogs into the house or garage, but the rest of the time they live on the street.

Special effects

Photo: Reuters

Locals claim that:

- in severe frosts (-65 ° C), if you hit hard with metal on metal, sparks are generated, because of this it is very dangerous to use gas stations;

- vodka freezes in the cold, like mercury thermometers;

- the police do not have truncheons - in the cold they harden and burst upon impact, like glass;

- fish, taken out of the water in frost, becomes glass in five minutes;

Locals take out the washed laundry outside for freezing. After a minute, it stands up with a stake. Collect in two hours very carefully, otherwise you can break the pillowcase or tear off the collar of the shirt.

Because of the permafrost, it is very difficult to dig graves. People pray that loved ones do not die in winter.

Evgeniya Zibinskaya, originally from the neighboring village of Nelkan, Oymyakonsky district, abolished in 2008 Until 1997, I lived in the village of Nelkan. Our village was surrounded by a ring of mountains, because of which there was no wind and the cold was tolerated quite easily. But in Yakutsk -30 ° C - a real torture because of the constantly blowing, as if from all directions, simultaneously winds. The polar day is very short. Walking, we captured a piece of the polar night - so that children prowling in pitch darkness were not uncommon. I still have no fear of night walks. The main northern device is deer fur. Reindeer fur is unique: each villi is a hollow tube filled with air. Thanks to such an air cushion, the fur retains heat very well. We had a gold mine, so the main activity of its inhabitants was focused on this, the rest ensured the work of the infrastructure. Gold, by the way, could be found right in the river (I'm not talking about little things, which are enough in the Urals, but about quite large nuggets), but it was of no interest to the inhabitants, because if someone decided to hand it over to the state, then the paperwork would have been more than enough, and to take it out, you understand, was unrealistic.