Stepping outside in Yakutsk feels like walking into a freezer that never turns off. Located deep in Siberia, this city is known as the coldest in the world, and life here pushes human endurance to its limits. With a population of around 355,000 people, Yakutsk experiences extreme cold for most of the year, making winter not just a season, but a way of life.
During January, the coldest month, average nighttime temperatures fall to around -42°C, and the city receives less than four hours of sunlight a day. The lowest temperature ever recorded here was a staggering -64.4°C, logged on February 5, 1891. These figures explain why Yakutsk consistently tops the list of the world’s coldest cities.
A recent viral video brought global attention to what daily life looks like in these conditions. The clip shows boiling water thrown into the air instantly freezing before it hits the ground. Anything left outside—clothes, vehicles, tools—can freeze solid within minutes.
At local markets, fish and meat stay frozen naturally because the air is colder than most freezers. Even fruit behaves unusually. A banana left outdoors becomes so hard that it can be used like a hammer to drive a nail into wood.
Survival here depends on careful routines. Cars are often kept running continuously because engines can freeze if turned off for too long. Going outside means wearing multiple layers of clothing, sometimes weighing more than 10 kilograms in total. Only the area around the eyes is left exposed, and even that needs protection from frostbite.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to come by, so diets rely heavily on meat and preserved foods. Everyday technology struggles too. Smartphones can shut down within minutes when exposed to the freezing air.
Yakutsk isn’t the northernmost city on Earth, but its location plays a huge role in its extreme climate. It is far from the sea, which means there’s no ocean to moderate temperatures. During winter, a powerful high-pressure system traps cold air over Siberia, while the ground beneath the city remains permanently frozen due to permafrost.
Despite temperatures that regularly plunge below -40°C, life in Yakutsk goes on. Schools, markets, and offices continue to function, showing just how adaptable humans can be—even in one of the harshest environments on the planet.
