By Brasen Tham (Y12)
Yakutsk: Where the Cold is Cold!
Did you know there’s a city where winter can get so cold that your eyelashes might freeze? Welcome to Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia and one of the coldest major cities on earth! Despite the frost, Yakutsk is full of life, culture, and cool surprises.
Crazy Climate Swings
Yakutsk is known for its extreme winter-numbing temperatures. In January, the average low dips to around −42 °C! Some years, temperatures have even plummeted below −60 °C. However, surprisingly, Yakutsk does not remain cold for the entire year: in summer, temperatures can climb to more than 30°C, forming one of the largest inter-seasonal temperature swings in the world. That means you can experience thick parkas in January and later that year, t-shirts in July1.
A Unique Culture
Yakutsk isn’t all snow and ice — it is colorful too. Every year, local people celebrate Ysyakh, a traditional summer festival with music, games, and food to welcome the warm season. Hundreds of thousands of people gather to enjoy this lively event 2. Inside the city, museums and theaters help tourists learn and immerse themselves in the long history and traditions of the Sakha people and other indigenous cultures who have lived here for generations.
Life Along the Lena River
Yakutsk sits beside the Lena River, one of the longest rivers in the world (about 4,472 km long). In summer, the river is ideal for activities like boating, fishing, and scenic walks. During winter, it freezes into a snowy highway that locals can travel over.
The land around Yakutsk is also entirely on permafrost (ground that stays frozen all year round). Buildings are carefully designed and are often on stilts to deal with the frozen soil. Scientists from all over the world study the permafrost here to learn about the Earth’s climate history 3.