Oymyakon

It is named after the Oymyakon River, whose name reportedly comes from the Even word kheium, meaning "unfrozen patch of water; place where fish spend the winter".[5] However, another source states that the Even word heyum (hэjум) (kheium may be a misspelling) means "frozen lake".[6]

Oymyakon has two main valleys beside it. These valleys trap wind inside the town and create the colder climate.[7] The temperatures here are extremely cold throughout the year, and it snows frequently. Schools are closed if it is colder than −55.0 °C (−67.0 °F).[8]

During World War II, an airfield was built in the district of Aeroport, for the Alaska-Siberian (ALSIB) air route, used to ferry American Lend-Lease aircraft to the Eastern Front.[9]

Over the last few decades, the population of Oymyakon has shrunk significantly. The village had a peak population of roughly 2,500 inhabitants, but that number has decreased to fewer than 900 in 2018.[Videos 1]

With an extreme subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfd/Dwd), Oymyakon is known as one of the places considered the Northern Pole of Cold, the other being the town of Verkhoyansk, located 629 km (391 mi) away by air. The ground is permanently frozen (continuous permafrost).

There is a monument built around the town square commemorating a reading in January 1924 of −71.2 °C (−96.2 °F). This was shown on the Australian program 60 Minutes in a 2012 documentary.[10] On February 6, 1933, a temperature of −67.7 °C (−89.9 °F) was recorded at Oymyakon's weather station.[11][12] This was the coldest officially recorded temperature in the Northern Hemisphere. Only Antarctica has recorded lower official temperatures (the lowest being −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), recorded at Vostok Station on 21 July 1983).[13][14]

The weather station is in a valley between Oymyakon and Tomtor. The station is at 750 m (2,460 ft) above sea level and the surrounding mountains at 1,100 m (3,600 ft), causing cold air to pool in the valley: in fact, recent studies show that winter temperatures in the area increase with altitude by as much as 10 °C (18 °F).[15]

Some years the temperature drops below 0 °C (32 °F) in late September and may remain below freezing until mid-April. In Oymyakon sometimes the average minimum temperature for December, January, and February remains below −50 °C (−58 °F). Sometimes summer months can also be quite cold, but June and July are the only months where the temperature has never dropped below −10 °C (14 °F). Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk are the only two permanently inhabited places in the world that have recorded temperatures below −60.0 °C (−76 °F) for every day in January.[16][17]

Oymyakon has never recorded an above-freezing temperature between October 25 and March 17.[18]

Although winters in Oymyakon are long and extremely cold, summers are mild to warm, sometimes hot. The warmest month on record is July 2010 with an average temperature of +18.7 °C (65.7 °F).[19] In June, July and August temperatures over 30 °C (86 °F) are not rare during the day. On July 28, 2010, Oymyakon recorded a record high temperature of 34.6 °C (94 °F),[20] yielding a temperature range of 102.3 °C (184.1 °F). Verkhoyansk, Yakutsk, Delyankir and Fort Vermilion, Canada are the only other known places in the world that have a temperature amplitude higher than 100 °C (180 °F).

The climate is quite dry, but as average monthly temperatures are below freezing for seven months of the year, substantial evaporation occurs only in summer months. Summers are much wetter than winters.

Landscape near Oymyakon in February 2013

• Verkhoyansk, another candidate for the "Northern Pole of Cold"
• Yakutsk, coldest major city
• Summit Camp
• Oymyakon Plateau

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Oymyakon.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oymyakon.

• City map Oymyakon