The Coldest City in the World

With average temperatures below -50°F, it’s also home to 20% of the world’s diamonds

A lone figure stands on a street corner in Yakutsk, Siberia. Photographer Steeve Iuncker was able to photograph for only 15 minutes at a time in the subzero temperatures before his camera froze and the film risked cracking — Image Source: National Geographic / Photographer: STEEVE IUNCKER, AGENCE VU/REDUX

Imagine living in a place so cold that spending just ten minutes outdoors could freeze your eyelashes. A place so cold that even running isn’t possible due to the sheer fatigue you’d feel. How would you cope? Could you live in an environment where stepping out could mean certain death? Well, for 280,000 people, their daily life revolves around exactly that.

Deep in the heart of Siberia and shrouded in a blanket of fog lies Yakutsk, the coldest city in the world.

What Is It Like Living in the Coldest City?

Although summers can be quite warm, reaching highs of 77°F (25°C) in July, the season is very short, and it's the brutal winters that people are accustomed to in this unforgiving city.

The lowest recorded temperature in Yakutsk is -83.9° F (-64.4°C), and for anyone looking to venture outside, not wearing adequate clothing can mean certain death. Locals wear a minimum of three layers before they even consider going out.

But it’s not just the cold that people need to be wary of. It’s also the fatigue.