Brave swimmers take a dip in mind-numbingly cold conditions
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Robert Richards, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 10, 2021 4:05 PM EDT
|
Updated Dec 11, 2021 10:40 AM EDT
A group of swimmers braved cold air of -47 degrees Celsius and icy water in Oymyakon, Russia, on Dec. 5 before running back to a warm tent.
Seven hardy swimmers took a true polar plunge as they braved bone-chilling temperatures and dipped into icy water in Oymyakon, Russia, last Sunday.
Touted as the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, Oymyakon, located in Russia's Siberia territory, is home to approximately 500 people who are used to dangerously cold conditions -- but the temperatures these men endured during the plunge would be mind-numbing for someone fully clothed and dry, let alone dripping wet and exposed to the elements.
The maximum temperature on Dec. 5 was an astonishing 52.4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (46.9 degrees below zero Celsius) in Oymyakon. This temperature reading was still a far cry from the town's lowest officially recorded temperature of 89.9 below zero F (67.7 below zero C) set in 1933, but the combination of the cold air and freezing water temperatures would have led to a jarring experience for Sunday's participants.
Oymyakon, Russia: The Coldest Town on Earth
AccuWeather
Video of the icy plunge showed one man jumping into the water for no more than a few seconds before he was helped out by an onlooker and hurried back into a heated tent. The six other men spent a bit more time in the ice bath before darting back to the warmer and drier environment.
Onlookers could be seen bundled up amid the frigid conditions with some cheering the men on as they ran out of the tent.
It turns out the swimmers got a "mild" day in Oymyakon, as temperatures plummeted even further later in the week.
On Wednesday evening, local time, the temperature in Oymyakon plunged to 74 below zero F (58.9 below zero C), which is one degree lower than what the thermometer plummeted to this past January and frigid enough to close schools. About 90 miles (145 km) away in Delyankir, the low temperature was an extremely frigid 78 below zero F (61.1 below zero C) for two consecutive days this week.
The extreme winter climate of far northeastern Asia is also referred to as the "Pole of Cold," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews.
"The Siberian 'Pole of Cold' is located within the Sakha Republic, or Yakutia, in northeastern Asia," Andrews said. "In winter, it is the coldest inhabited area on Earth -- only the tops of the great Antarctica and Greenland ice sheets are colder."
Just six months ago, the region wasn't living up to its reputation of being the Earth's coldest inhabited spot. In June, Oymyakon hit a maximum recorded temperature of 88.8 F (31.6 C), the hottest it has ever been during that month.
So perhaps if these men give it a few months, they may finally get a chance to warm up.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Brave swimmers take a dip in mind-numbingly cold conditions
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Robert Richards, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 10, 2021 4:05 PM EDT | Updated Dec 11, 2021 10:40 AM EDT
A group of swimmers braved cold air of -47 degrees Celsius and icy water in Oymyakon, Russia, on Dec. 5 before running back to a warm tent.
Seven hardy swimmers took a true polar plunge as they braved bone-chilling temperatures and dipped into icy water in Oymyakon, Russia, last Sunday.
Touted as the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, Oymyakon, located in Russia's Siberia territory, is home to approximately 500 people who are used to dangerously cold conditions -- but the temperatures these men endured during the plunge would be mind-numbing for someone fully clothed and dry, let alone dripping wet and exposed to the elements.
The maximum temperature on Dec. 5 was an astonishing 52.4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (46.9 degrees below zero Celsius) in Oymyakon. This temperature reading was still a far cry from the town's lowest officially recorded temperature of 89.9 below zero F (67.7 below zero C) set in 1933, but the combination of the cold air and freezing water temperatures would have led to a jarring experience for Sunday's participants.
Oymyakon, Russia: The Coldest Town on Earth
Video of the icy plunge showed one man jumping into the water for no more than a few seconds before he was helped out by an onlooker and hurried back into a heated tent. The six other men spent a bit more time in the ice bath before darting back to the warmer and drier environment.
Onlookers could be seen bundled up amid the frigid conditions with some cheering the men on as they ran out of the tent.
It turns out the swimmers got a "mild" day in Oymyakon, as temperatures plummeted even further later in the week.
On Wednesday evening, local time, the temperature in Oymyakon plunged to 74 below zero F (58.9 below zero C), which is one degree lower than what the thermometer plummeted to this past January and frigid enough to close schools. About 90 miles (145 km) away in Delyankir, the low temperature was an extremely frigid 78 below zero F (61.1 below zero C) for two consecutive days this week.
The extreme winter climate of far northeastern Asia is also referred to as the "Pole of Cold," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews.
"The Siberian 'Pole of Cold' is located within the Sakha Republic, or Yakutia, in northeastern Asia," Andrews said. "In winter, it is the coldest inhabited area on Earth -- only the tops of the great Antarctica and Greenland ice sheets are colder."
Just six months ago, the region wasn't living up to its reputation of being the Earth's coldest inhabited spot. In June, Oymyakon hit a maximum recorded temperature of 88.8 F (31.6 C), the hottest it has ever been during that month.
So perhaps if these men give it a few months, they may finally get a chance to warm up.
In other news:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo