In South Texas, we bring out our heavy coats when the temperature drops below 60 degrees.
My brother in Minnesota doesn’t even put on a sweater until the thermometer reads freezing or below.
There are a few places on the planet, though, that I think we can all agree are Cold with a capital C!
Coldest Place On Earth
The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth is -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-89.2 C).
The temperature dropped to that historic reading on July 21st, 1983 at Vostok, Antarctica — the Russian research station where the temperature regularly hovers between -40 and -90 F.
There are unconfirmed reports from Vostok that the temperature may have dropped to as low as -132 F during the winter of 1997.
There’s a great website devoted to all things Antarctic. The Antarctic Connection even has an online store where you can shop for mittens, calendars, cruises and more. Just be ready to think Cold!
Coldest Place In America
While there’s no question Alaska has some of the coldest weather in the United States (U.S. record low of -79.8 degrees F was recorded at Prospect Creek, AK), you don’t really have to go that far to cool off.
Some of the most bone-chilling cold in America is found at Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. The average annual temperature is a bitter 27.2 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest in the United States. Readings have gone as low as -47 F.
But at Mt. Washington, it’s not just the cold, it is also an incredibly windy place. In April of 1934, the wind gusted to 231 miles per hour – the strongest wind gust ever recorded on the planet Earth.
Of course, any place there is anything extreme, there are tourists who want to go there. To learn about Mt. Washington tours, the history of the famous outpost, or to buy some really cool souvenirs, check out the official Mt. Washington Observatory website.
So… it looks like Texas can get cold, Minnesota can get Cold, Mt. Washington gets COLD and Vostok gets #$%#$#$% COLD!!!!!!
I’m a TV weatherman in south Texas. I get blamed for the bad weather, but I also get credit for the beautiful days. I absolutely love my job!
