Vostok Station Holds Earth’s Coldest Air Record at -128.6°F Since 1983
Updated
Updated · Farmers' Almanac · Jul 21
Vostok Station Holds Earth’s Coldest Air Record at -128.6°F Since 1983
3 articles · Updated · Farmers' Almanac · Jul 21
Summary
July 21, 1983, brought an official world record at Antarctica’s Vostok Station, where instruments measured air temperature at -128.6°F (-89.2°C).
Clear skies, calm winds, months of polar darkness and Vostok’s 11,500-foot elevation combined to maximize radiational cooling over the East Antarctic ice sheet.
The Russian research outpost lies about 800 miles from the South Pole and has hosted scientists since 1957, supporting work from ice-core climate studies to the discovery of subglacial Lake Vostok.
Satellite analyses in 2013 suggested parts of Antarctica’s high plateau may have dipped below -135°F, but the WMO still recognizes Vostok because those estimates were surface, not standard near-surface air, measurements.