Oymyakon maximum temperature. The village of Oymyakon in Yakutia (Russia) – the Northern Pole of Cold of Russia and the Earth: photos, videos, Oymyakon on the map. The standing cold of Oymyakon chills to the bones

Oymyakon maximum temperature. The village of Oymyakon in Yakutia (Russia) – the Northern Pole of Cold of Russia and the Earth: photos, videos, Oymyakon on the map. The standing cold of Oymyakon chills to the bones

06.10.2021 ethnoscience

The village of Oymyakon is an iconic place in Yakutia. It is located at an altitude of more than 740 meters above sea level, but lies in a kind of basin where cold air accumulates in winter. There is no wind in the village, however, according to local residents, the cold penetrates much more strongly to the very bones.

According to various measurements, the minimum temperature in the village ranges from minus 78 to 82°C! Meteorologists are constantly arguing about which point in Yakutia is considered the northern pole of cold: Verkhoyansk or Oymyakon. According to the latest data, the absolute annual minimum in Oymyakon is almost 4°C lower than in Verkhoyansk.

The temperature difference between winter and summer reaches 104 degrees. According to this indicator, Oymyakon is ahead only of Verkhoyansk. The most heat in this village was recorded in the summer of 2010. It was almost +35°C. The Oymyakon summer is characterized by a colossal temperature difference: during the day the thermometer can show +30°C, and at night it can be below zero. Almost 230 days a year there is snow cover in Oymyakon.

The shortest day here in December is only three hours. But in the summer there are white nights in Oymyakon - it’s light outside all day and night.

Population of Oymyakon

Only 520 people live in the village. Local residents are engaged in cattle breeding, fishing and reindeer herding. Despite the terrible cold, the population lives quite well ordinary life. The village has cellular communications, the Internet, shops, a hospital, a school, a gas station and even an airport, which was built during the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. Prices in Oymyakon stores are significantly higher than in Moscow.

Sights of Oymyakon

Tourism in this village in Lately is developing at a rapid pace. Foreigners and Russians are attracted by local museums, nearby Gulag camps, Lake Labynkyr, Moltanskaya Rock and, of course, the biting frost itself. The nature of Oymyakon is truly unique. There are streams here that do not freeze even when the air temperature is minus 70°C, and ice fields that do not thaw in the heat of +30°C.

Every spring, a festival is held in Oymyakon, which attracts Santa Clauses from all over the planet. It traditionally attracts crowds of tourists. The latter are recommended to dress very warmly: hats with ear flaps, cotton pants, fur sweaters, high fur boots made of reindeer wool and a scarf to wrap your face will come in handy here.

Local residents claim that in severe frost, if you hit metal hard against metal, you can create a spark. This is why it is extremely dangerous to refuel cars in Oymyakon.

Local police do not have batons, because in the bitter cold they harden and treacherously burst upon impact, like glass.

Residents of Oymyakon take wet laundry outside only to freeze, not to dry. A minute later it stands up like a stake.

Education in local schools is canceled only when the temperature drops to minus 56°C.

Of all the animals, only horses, dogs and reindeer can withstand the local cold.

The village of Oymyakon in Yakutia (Russia) is the Northern Pole of Cold of Russia and the earth, where a record low air temperature was recorded in 1933: −67.7°C. Oymyakon means “unfrozen spring” in the local language. In this area there are indeed streams and sections of rivers that do not freeze in such severe frost. For example, the non-freezing stream “Razluka”, to which, according to legend, prisoners secretly came on dates in the 30s.

There are 521 local residents in the village of Oymyakon. A harsh region, where a winter day lasts 3 hours, a summer day lasts 21 hours, and temperature fluctuations throughout the year are 100 degrees, is unattractive for permanent residence. Here, severe frosts shape the way of life, habits, and activities. In Oymyakon, they don’t even close the school - it’s 60C, the police don’t carry batons, because they fall apart from the frost, they don’t turn off the car here, because after two hours of sitting, it will never start. Residents of Oymyakon do not wear clothes made of synthetic fabrics, because they fall apart in the cold; in winter, even cows are dressed here so that their udders do not freeze. There are no colds in Oymyakon, because viruses freeze, exhaled air and alcohol freeze.

Oymyakon on the map:

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The cold has held back the flow of tourists to the permafrost region for many years. But recently, it was the cold that contributed to the development of a new concept of tourism and became a new brand in the tourism infrastructure of the region.

And now, those who want to test their strength, to see what real winter looks like, go to Yakutia, the land of permafrost. It is exceptionally cold here, but very friendly. Routes have been created for tourists that will allow them to explore local life, gastronomic preferences, see the algys ritual, the workdays of reindeer herders, take part in horseback riding routes, sport fishing, hunting, sightseeing, and attend the Pole of Cold festival.

Expedition to the Pole of Cold:

During the festival, public festivities include dog sledding with Yakut Laikas. If you are lucky, you will be able to taste the incredibly tasty meat of the Chubuku bighorn sheep, which is extremely difficult to obtain by hunting.

The Indigirka River flowing in Oymyakon is known not only for gold mines and antimony mining, but also for a large number of different types of fish. The river is used for fishing for vendace, nelma, omul, whitefish, whitefish, and muksun. Tourists can take part in ice fishing: in the clear water of Indigirka, fish can be seen even at a depth of four meters.

There is a small ethno-museum in the tourist complex “Chochur-Muran”. Its exhibition consists of antique objects. In winter, an ice sculpture park is created on the territory of the complex by the hands of Yakut craftsmen. This type of art is very popular in Yakutia. The main attraction is the “Kingdom of Permafrost” set up inside the mountain. In the cave, tourists are greeted by the Yakut frost carved from ice - Chyskhaan. In the room of the Master of the North you can see ice furniture and dishes. The next room is intended for rituals of purification and reverence. Here the newlyweds are honored, and they sincerely wish that their union would be as eternal as the surrounding permafrost. The Permafrost Museum has an ice slide, the Ice Bar. For your visit to the unusual Museum, you can receive a personalized certificate from the Archivist.

Photos from open sources

This is the harshest place on our planet where people live permanently. There are about five hundred of them. The main occupation of the local population is cattle breeding, reindeer herding and fishing. In the summer, people go to the so-called. flyers for haymaking. In Oymyakon there are all the signs of civilization: there are cellular communications, the Internet and an airport built during the war. There is a hospital, schools - regular and music, a kindergarten, a club, a library, a gym, a bakery, a gas station and a store. By the way, food prices in Oymyakon are higher than in the Russian capital: a loaf of bread, for example, costs 50 rubles. (website)

The standing cold of Oymyakon chills to the bones

The village is located at an altitude of 741 meters above sea level. In winter, very cold air flows into the Oymyakon Valley. And although there is no wind here, the stagnant cold, as local residents say, pierces through and through.

The lowest temperature in the village was recorded in 1938: -77.8 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists and scientists have been arguing for a long time which of the settlements in Yakutia is “colder” - Oymyakon or Verkhoyansk. The latest data favors Oymyakon, where absolute annual minimums are 3.5 degrees lower.

Photos from open sources

The difference between winter and summer temperatures here reaches 104 degrees. By the way, the highest summer temperature was recorded in 2010: +34.6 degrees Celsius.

However, Oymyakon is covered in snow most of the year. Permafrost prevents people from properly digging graves, and everyone prays that their loved ones will not die in the winter.

The shortest day in December lasts three hours here; Summer is the time of white nights, when it is light all day and night. This time of year, in turn, is also characterized by a significant temperature difference: during the day it can reach +30 degrees, and at night drop below zero.

Photos from open sources

Children in Oymyakon are dressed “cabbage style”, leaving only their eyes open. At the same time, they can only walk on a sled, since it is very difficult for children to walk in their “hundred clothes”. As for schoolchildren, students primary classes they stay at home at a temperature of -52 degrees, and at -56 degrees the entire school is no longer studying.

The adult population of Oymyakon dresses in down jackets and fur coats, fur hats and high boots made of reindeer skins. People are forced to put on two or three pairs of pants, socks, and tights. A hat covering the forehead and a scarf raised to the bridge of the nose save the face from frostbite. However, there are cases when local beauties wore nylon tights in 50-degree frost and managed not to freeze.

Photos from open sources

Villagers have heated garages for cars; The driver warms up the engine for 10-15 minutes before leaving. If there is no garage, the engine is not turned off at all. Additional stoves are installed in the engine cabins, and they drive on Arctic diesel fuel (diesel and kerosene are mixed). Many drivers make their own pipe, which is used to heat the fuel. Yakut truck drivers do not turn off the engines of their cars for months.

Nature and animals of Oymyakon

The nature of Oymyakon is beautiful and unique: there are streams that do not freeze in 70-degree frost, and ice fields that do not melt in 30-degree heat.

Of all the Oymyakon animals, only horses, dogs and, of course, reindeer can withstand the winter cold. Cows are released from a warm barn at a temperature not lower than -30 degrees, and special warm bras are placed on their udders. In winter, cats are not allowed outside at all, and if some extreme sportswoman jumps out of the house on her own, she is guaranteed frostbite. As for dogs, on particularly cold days they are taken home or allowed into the garage. These animals spend the rest of their time outside.

Photos from open sources

Today, many tourists come to Oymyakon - Russian travelers and foreigners. Among the local attractions are the preserved buildings of the Gulag camps, a museum, Lake Labynkyr and Moltan Rock, shrouded in secrets and legends, and, of course, the local frosts themselves. Every spring the village hosts a festival called “Oymyakon - Pole of Cold”, and then here you can see many Santa Clauses who have come together from different countries peace.

Hello, readers of our site “I and the World”! Today we are going with you on a journey to the cold, icy distances, the coldest place in Russia: Oymyakon is a village in the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.

Here is a place on the planet where the thermometer drops below the coldest record levels. In 1938, a temperature of -77.8 degrees was recorded in these places. So try not to complain about the cold this winter, we’re not at the “Pole of Cold”!

Before the maximum low temperatures were established in Oymyakon, Verkhoyansk was considered the “Pole of Cold”. And if one of the geologists had not begun to study the weather conditions in the village, then Verkhoyansk would have remained the coldest on the planet.

If you look at the map, the village is located to the left of the Indigirka River, in the eastern part of the republic.

The distance from Oymyakon to the city of Yakutsk, the capital of the region, is two days' drive. Can you imagine how long the ambulance will take? That's why there is a small airport in the village.

Why is Oymyakon considered the coldest place on the planet? The village is hidden in a hollow of the earth, and mountains rise around it, so it looks like it’s in a pit. Therefore, the cold lingers here for a long time, and the air heats up very slowly.

The local population is so accustomed to the cold that -50 degrees is considered pleasant warming. If you compare the weather here and at the northernmost point of the Arctic Ocean, on Rudolf Island, then in Oymyakon it is 10 times colder. Moreover, permafrost reigns on the island.

By the way, the name of the village translates as “non-freezing water”. Most likely, in honor of the hot spring that bubbles up from the ground nearby. And the water heats the air around so much that in summer the temperature rises to +35 degrees.

There are few civilized amenities: houses are heated with wood and coal; probably not a single pipe will withstand such cold weather. Even to the toilets you have to walk through the courtyard.

It’s funny, but some travel companies are trying to lure tourists here too, so that they try to live for several days in such “inhuman” conditions. It is clear that there is no queue of people willing to come here, and mainly journalists and scientists come here.
Civilization is here in the form of a Wi-Fi network, but mobile communications not at all.

Every day, in the cold here, the ink in the pens freezes, and the batteries run out. Sometimes local residents who have cars leave them running, otherwise they simply won’t be able to start them later. And even though this is the coldest populated area in Russia, there are enough people here. They are very friendly and always welcome guests.

The only small shop in the village is a dilapidated building heated with wood. There are no buses, so parents take their children to school in their cars or on sleds; it’s difficult for the kids themselves to move, they are so wrapped up in clothes.
A sunny day here depends on the time of year: in summer it lasts 21 hours, and in winter it lasts only 3 hours. Because in the warm season, the length of the day is increased by beautiful white nights. And the difference in temperature differences is also big - in winter it’s minus 67-70, and in summer it’s 30-35 degrees.

The local flora and fauna is also amazing. Or rather, there is nothing to be surprised here - practically nothing grows, and there are very few animals in the forests. There is no industry here, so local residents breed and herd deer, fish and hunt in the forests. Only professionals hunt, they know the exact places with game, otherwise you can freeze to death.

Residents are engaged in breeding not only deer, but also cute short horses with very long hair up to 15 cm in length. Therefore, horses can withstand the worst cold weather well, the main thing is to feed them well.

So, friends, you have found out which place on the planet is the coldest. Many people have now left here, where they constantly have to fight for survival. The most persistent ones remained, and even those who had already gotten used to it.

When you get ready to test your endurance and frost resistance, go boldly - spring is coming and warming is coming. Today and in the next couple of days the temperature will remain at -30, but in a couple of weeks it will rise to +18.

Why is Oymyakon called the pole of cold of the northern hemisphere?

Since 1926, two settlements have been competing for the title of “Pole of Cold” in the Northern Hemisphere - the village of Oymyakon, and more specifically the village of Tomtor, 30 kilometers to the southeast, and the city of Verkhoyansk, where the absolute minimum of the Northern Hemisphere -67.8 °C was recorded in January 1885. After that, a meteorological station and the Pole of Cold local history museum were organized here.

The Russian Pole of Cold - the story of its discovery.

If geologist Sergei Obruchev had not started conducting research on the Indigirka River, it is likely that Verkhoyansk would have remained the only contender for the role of the coldest city in the Northern Hemisphere. During the expedition, the scientist noticed a strange noise, which turned out to be his own breathing. According to him, this noise resembled the sound of grain spilling or snow falling from tree branches. This unusual sound appears when the air temperature drops below -50°C, local residents call it the “whisper of the stars.” Hearing this “whisper,” Obruchev began to think that, due to its geographical location, this area could break Verkhoyansk’s records. The Yakut village of Oymyakon is located in a depression, surrounded on all sides by mountains, its geographical position quite interesting. In fact, Oymyakon is located higher above sea level than its competing city, but due to the mountains surrounding it, it is located in a pit, which is why cold air lingers here longer and heats up more slowly. Based on all this, Obruchev concluded that this is where temperature records should be expected.

The question of which settlement will rightfully be called the pole of cold is still considered open to this day. Supporters of Oymyakon and supporters of Verkhoyansk continue their disputes on this issue. The absolute minimum temperature of -68°C at Oymyakon in Verkhoyansk was included in SNiP 23-01-99 “Building Climatology” from January 1, 2003.

Weather in Oymyakon, Yakutia.

Interestingly, the village has a somewhat ironic name. The word "Oymyakon" translated into Russian means "unfrozen water", although perhaps this name was given in honor of the hot spring located nearby. Local residents are used to the harsh Oymyakon climate, for them -50°C is considered warming, since the average temperature for these places is -65°C.

In 2012, the population of Oymyakon was 512 people; today this number has not changed much. The terrible frosts of these areas do not particularly attract tourists. For the most part, people who come here are either scientists or journalists. Only a few extreme sports enthusiasts and lovers of unusual sensations choose these regions for relaxation. Oymyakon residents heat their houses with wood or coal; there are practically no amenities here, but the entire territory of the village is covered with a Wi-Fi network, but there is no mobile communication at the Pole of Cold in Oymyakon, Unfortunately no.

Climate of Oymyakon and length of day.

The length of the day in Oymyakon varies depending on the time of year; in summer it is almost 21 hours, and in December no more than 3. Summer in this harsh pole of cold is beautiful with its white nights, when the sun shines throughout the day. In addition to differences in day length, the largest fluctuations in air temperature per year for Eurasia are also observed here - over 100 degrees, that is, from -67.7 ° C in winter and up to + 45 ° C in summer.

In Oymyakon, not only the climate is surprising, but also the local fauna. Unusual horses are bred here, whose body is covered with thick hair 8-15 cm long. Thanks to this, the Yakut breed of horses is incredibly frost-resistant, even in winter they continue to live in the fresh air, no matter how much the temperature drops.

There is almost no wildlife in these areas; you need to be an experienced hunter to know where and who to look for, otherwise you can freeze to death trying to track down any game. Also, practically nothing grows here, so people eat the meat of deer and horses. At the Pole of Cold in Oymyakon, there is only one store open, and local residents work as fishermen, shepherds or hunters.