Russia's Sakha: Coldest Spot in the Northern Hemisphere

A minibus drives along an ice road across the Lena river, outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.



The coldest temperatures in the northern hemisphere have been recorded in Sakha, the location of the Oymyakon valley, where according to the United Kingdom Met Office a temperature of minus 67.8 degrees Celsius was registered in 1933 — the coldest on record in the northern hemisphere since the beginning of the 20th century.



Yet despite the harsh climate, people live in the valley, and the area is equipped with schools, a post office, a bank, and even an airport runway (albeit open only in the summer).

A car drives through the snow at night near Vostochnaya meteorological station.

Alexander Gubin, 43, prepares to dive into the frozen Labynkyr lake.

A thermometer shows a temperature around minus 55 degrees Celsius in the village of Tomtorin.

A view of the snowy landscape near Vostochnaya meteorological station in the Oymyakon valley.

A man walks through a courtyard in Yakutsk.

Traffic lights are seen covered in snow in Yakutsk.

A woman waits before crossing a street near traffic lights and signs covered with hoarfrost.

A man, eyelashes covered with hoarfrost, is seen in a street.

Ships are moored on the banks of a river for the winter.