These are some of the coldest places on earth

Think it's cold in the UK? Think again

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29 January 2018

You may be feeling pretty fed up of the bitter days and dark nights by this point in January but it turns out the UK is positively warm - snow or no snow.

Below, are some places around the world that actually get freezing with temperatures that can reach well below - 30 C.

If you're a winter sports enthusiast or fancy seeing just how much you can brave, the good news is you can visit each and every one..

Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

Home to China’s annual snow and ice festival, Harbin is the capital of the northeastern province Heilongjiang. From January to February, temperatures can reach as low as - 35 C which draws crowds in their droves to see the incredibly intricate sculptures.

Having run for over thirty years, it's perhaps Asia’s most famous carnival of it’s kind alongside the famed Sapporo festival in Japan and Korea's Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival.

Oymyakon, Russia

Shutterstock / Vladimir Sevrinov

Today average winter temperatures in Oymyakon are around - 50 C but it did once break the record of the coldest inhabited place on earth when temperatures reached - 68 C in 1933.

Around 500 people live here today but it’s not straightforward. Mobile phones regularly freeze over, nothing grows so inhabitants have to live on a meat diet and it can take days to bury someone as grave sites need to be thawed with hot coals.

Come summer it’s a completely different story though with temperatures likely to reach 30 C plus during June, July and August.

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Yellowknife, Canada

Yellowknife’s seasons couldn’t be more extreme. In summer it enjoys 24 hour sunlight and is one of the warmest places in Canada but as soon as winter hits, it’s a snowy wilderness. Temperatures can get as low as - 26 C. The good news is, the area is well versed in subzero conditions meaning if you’re a winter sports enthusiast there’s no end of activities to throw yourself into from cross-country skiing to ice fishing and dog sledding.

Yakutsk, Siberia

Home to over 250,000 people, Yakutsk in eastern Siberia is officially the coldest city in the world with temperatures reaching as low as - 38.6 C in January.

Famous not just for being freezing, it’s also home to the Mammoth Museum (yes really) which houses millennia-old fossils of the woolly species and it is also a large exporter of diamonds. The city does have an airport which makes it one of the most accessible places on this list if you can brave it.

Urumqi, China

Shutterstock / smiling_z

Urumqi is the capital of China’s Xinjiang territory and used to be a major hub on the Silk Road. In winter temperatures typically reach - 15 C and snow is constant throughout the season. Surrounded by mountains, people can ski in winter and hike come summer.

Astana, Kazakhstan

Shutterstock / evgenykz

Astana, which replaced the former capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, in 1997, is arguably one of the coldest places in the world. On average temperatures fall to - 20 C and winters typically last from November until May. In 2016, schools were actually closed for four days as temperatures dropped to - 32 C. Currently it is only beaten by Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for the title of the coldest capital in the world.