“Antarctica is a land of extremes. It is the highest, coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth.”
Minus 145.5°F or -98.6°C is the coldest recorded air temperature on Earth. Located on a high ridge on the East Antarctic plateau, a few hundred miles from the Vostok research station.
For comparison, the coldest recorded temperature on Mt. Everest is minus 43 degrees Fahrenheit (-42°C) or 100°F / 56°C warmer.
Volsok station, located near Lake Vostok (Image Source)
Vostok station - Antarctica
The Vostok weather station is located at 11,444 feet (3,488m) above sea level on the East Antarctic plateau.
On July 21, 1983, the lowest temperature on Earth was recorded (−129°F or −89.2 °C) at this station.
Since then, weather research has gotten better, especially with the use of satellite technology. A 2019 study, from a research team at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), analyzed satellite data from 2004 to 2016.
“The East Antarctic Plateau is a windswept desolate expanse the size of Australia with few bases or instruments.” (Image & Quote Source: NSIDC)
What the CU research team discovered:
Lowest recorded temp
-145.5°F (-98.6°C)
Coldest average temp ranges
Minus 144.4°F to −145.5°F (−98°C to −98.6°C) was recorded at over 100 sites during the 12 years
The lowest observed temperatures were found in shallow topographic basins
Coldest natural place on Earth
“Blowing snow conditions at a campsite near Vostok Station in Antarctic summer.” (Image & Quote Source: NSIDC)
While neither Vostok nor the Sole Pole is the coldest place on Earth, they are not far off. The shallow depressions of the East Antarctica Plateau is the coldest region on Planet Earth with an average winter temperature of -62°F (-52°C).
Antarctica is the coldest place on earth, even colder than the Arctic, the South Pole, or the summit of Mount Everest
-42°F (-41°C): The coldest temp measured on the summit of Mt. Everest (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than Antarctica)
Of the top 100 coldest places on Earth, all 100 of them reside in Antarctica
Why is Antarctica so cold?
There are 4 main reasons that Antarctica is the coldest place on earth:
Sunlight
Sunlight or more accurately, lack of sunlight. Due to its position over the South Pole, Antarctica experiences 6 months of darkness each year.
Altitude
Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth with an average altitude of 8,200 feet (2,500 m).
The coldest temperatures measured on the south side of the East Antarctic ice divide were between 12,600 to 13,300 feet (3,850 to 4,050 meters) in elevation.
Reflective surfaces
Ice and snow are highly reflective. The vast majority of radiating heat and light gets reflected out to space, which keeps the air above them relatively cool.
Clear, calm & dry skies
Clear and calm skies create the perfect conditions for dry air. This dry air, drops the temperature even lower, as the water vapors block the loss of heat from the snow surface.
Cold, dense air descends and pools above the surface which remains in the depressions or basins. This allows the surface and the air above, to cool even further.
Antarctica - Satellite image (Image Source)
How cold is -145°F
On Earth, minus 145.5°F (-98.6°C) is about as cold as it can get.
This temperature is so close to Earth’s lower limit that humans can’t even breathe it without hemorrhaging. Even the previous cold record from 1983, which was over 10% warmer, the Russian scientists had to wear special masks that warmed the air before inhalation.
Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in La Patagonia and Puerto Rico. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, bicycle commuting, reading, snowboarding, researching, and sampling yummy craft beers.
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Sources & References for “World’s Coldest Temperature”
Borunda, Alejandra. “Coldest Known Temperature on Earth Recorded in Antarctica.” Science, 27 June 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/coldest-place-earth-measured-temperature-antarctica-science.
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. “New Study Explains Antarctica’s Coldest Temperatures.” CIRES, 25 June 2018.
Horwood, C., Williams, K. L., Skinner, T., Brown, R., Renouf, T., & Dubrowski, A. (2017). Trauma and Hypothermia in Antarctica: An Emergency Medicine Marine Simulation Scenario. Cureus, 9(6), e1341.
Scambos, T. A., et al. “Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica from Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth.” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 45, no. 12, 28 June 2018, pp. 6124–6133, 10.1029/2018gl078133.
SVS, NASA’s. “SVS: Coldest Place on Earth.” Svs.gsfc.nasa.gov, 4 Dec. 2013, svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4126.
Turner, John, et al. “Extreme Temperatures in the Antarctic.” Journal of Climate, vol. 34, no. 7, Apr. 2021, pp. 2653–2668, 10.1175/jcli-d-20-0538.1. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.
Turner, John, et al. “Record Low Surface Air Temperature at Vostok Station, Antarctica.” Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 114, no. D24, 16 Dec. 2009, 10.1029/2009jd012104.