Honestly, the first thing you notice isn't the cold. It’s the way your nose hair instantly turns into tiny ice needles. Every time you breathe, it feels like you're swallowing shards of glass. This is just a Tuesday for the 500 or so people living in Oymyakon.
Right now, if you stepped outside, you’d be looking at a crisp -36°F. That’s actually a bit of a "warm" spell compared to what’s coming later this week. By Sunday, the weather in Oymyakon Russia is forecasted to tank down to -46°F.
People call this place the "Pole of Cold," and they aren't being dramatic.
The record that defies logic
Back in 1933, the local weather station officially clocked a temperature of -89.9°F (-67.7°C). There’s an unofficial claim from 1924 that says it hit -96.2°F. Think about that. At those temperatures, if you toss a cup of boiling water into the air, it doesn't fall as water. It explodes into a cloud of ice crystals before it even thinks about hitting the ground.
Most of us complain when the car won't start at 20 degrees. In Oymyakon, if you turn your engine off and don't have a heated garage, you aren't starting that car again until May. Basically, people just leave their engines running all day. Sometimes all night. It’s either that or your driveshaft snaps like a frozen Kit-Kat.
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How do you even live there?
You've probably wondered how schools work. Well, kids are tough. Schools in Oymyakon usually don't even consider a "snow day" until it hits -67°F.
And forget about indoor plumbing.
The ground is permafrost, frozen solid for hundreds of feet down. You can’t easily bury pipes, so most people use outhouses. Imagine trekking through -50°F winds just to use the bathroom. It’s a level of mental toughness most of us can't even fathom.
Diet is another thing. You can't grow a single carrot in this dirt. Most locals live on a diet of:
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- Stroganina: Long, thin curls of frozen raw fish (usually whitefish or omul).
- Reindeer meat: High protein, high fat.
- Horse liver: Often eaten raw and frozen.
- Ice cubes of horse blood: It’s a thing, and it helps with vitamins.
The current forecast (January 2026)
If you’re planning a visit—and yes, people actually do that—here is what the next few days look like. It’s pretty consistent.
Yesterday, Thursday, saw a high of -31°F and a low of -36°F. Today is looking like more of the same, maybe a tiny bit colder with a low of -40°F. Tomorrow, Saturday, the mercury drops again to -43°F.
The wind is almost non-existent, usually just a 1 mph crawl from the south or southwest. That’s a mercy. At these temperatures, even a 10 mph breeze would peel the skin right off your face in seconds.
Why the weather in Oymyakon Russia is so weird
It’s basically a perfect storm of geography. The village sits in a valley between two mountain ranges. Cold air is heavier than warm air, so it flows down the mountains and pools in the valley like water in a bowl. This "temperature inversion" traps the freezing air at the bottom, right where the houses are.
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Curiously, the name "Oymyakon" actually means "water that doesn't freeze." It’s named after a nearby hot spring. It’s the ultimate irony because literally everything else in a ten-mile radius is a block of ice.
Actionable insights for the brave
If you’re actually considering a trip to the Sakha Republic to experience this, you need to be prepared.
- Layering is a lie: Standard "layers" from a sports store won't work. You need heavy fur. Reindeer skin boots (called untas) and full-length fur coats are the only things that actually stop the heat from leaking out.
- Electronics will die: Your iPhone will last about 45 seconds before the battery chemistry just gives up. You have to keep devices inside your inner layers, literally against your skin.
- Glasses are a hazard: Metal frames will freeze to your temples and rip the skin off when you try to take them or move them. Stick to plastic or contacts.
- The "Russian Tea" rule: Locals drink "Russian Tea" (vodka), but honestly, it's the high-fat diet that keeps you alive. Eat the fat. All of it.
For those tracking the weather in Oymyakon Russia for research or just out of pure morbid curiosity, keep an eye on the barometric pressure. The Siberian High—a massive system of cold, dry air—is what keeps the skies clear and the temperatures plummeting. As long as that high-pressure system sits over Yakutia, the deep freeze isn't going anywhere.
Don't expect a "warm-up" until late March, and even then, "warm" is a very relative term.