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Feb. 6, 1933: When Oymyakon Became the Pole Of Cold - Videos from The Weather Channel
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Feb. 6, 1933: When Oymyakon Became the Pole Of Cold

February 9, 2026

On Feb. 6, 1933, Oymyakon, Russia, hit minus 90 degrees — one of the coldest temperatures ever recorded where people actually live. This Siberian village of 500 sits in a mountain-ringed valley where cold air gets trapped with nowhere to go. December through February never sees temperatures above zero. Daily lows in the minus 60s? That's just winter. Below minus 58, ice crystals in the air make a swishing sound. Truck drivers may light fires under their engines just to get them started. Over 3,200 miles east of Moscow, Oymyakon earned its title as the "Pole of Cold" — the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth.