So we took a cold walk today- not terrible, 26F. My favorite sweatshirt and hoodie kept me reasonable, if not toasty. Which naturally got me thinking of the top coldest spots in the world today. According to a site I found, here are the top ten coldest in the last 24 hours:
10- Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada
Location, Yukon territory, near the BC border. Population: 790. Distance from me: 2,180 miles give or take. Known for: "The center of the small Yukon forestry industry." Temp: -53.1 F.
9- Dzhalinda, Russia
Location: Russia/ China border between Amur Oblast and Heliongijang Province. (IOW Find the farthest north spot in China and step over the line... er, cross the river.) Population: 1,123. Distance from me: 5,675 miles. Known for: Not much besides being cold. Temp: -53.1.
8- Tyanya, Russia
Location: 423 miles due Northeast from Dzhalinda. Population: 499. Distance from me: 5,360 miles. Known for: Population went up 10.6% between 2001 and 2010. Temp: -53.5.
7- "Habardino", Russia
Location: Heck, I don't know! The lat/long for the gauge is in the middle of nowhere, in the Sakha Republic district of Mirninsky, somewhere south of the Stolovaya Morkoka soup restaurant (which got 3.6 stars) in Morkoka. Population: For Morkoka, which is apparently the closest to civilization in the area, 76 and dropping as fast as the temperature. Distance from me: Supposedly 5,048 miles, but I'm not sure Google Maps is copius mentis right now. Known for: That's the problem, nobody knows it! Temp: -54.9.
6- Suon-Tit, Russia
Location: Still in the Sakha Republic, but much farther north, about 1,350 miles dead east from the easternmost tip of Alaska. Population: 131 and dropping, but not near so fast as Morkoka. Distance from me: a much closer 4,464 miles. Known for: The name translates to the odd "Swan-Titus". IMHO, we just drop the "us" and officially declare it a hillbilly settlement of Swan Tit. Temp: -55.5.
5- Mayo Airport, Canada
Location: Smack dab in the center of Yukon, not quite two miles north yet of the town of Mayo. Population: 496 in the town, probably substantially less at the airport. Distance from me: 2,532 miles give or take. Known for: Home of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, which we ugly Americans might call the Northern Tutchone Indians. Temp: -56.4.
4- Pelly River Ranch, Canada
Location: 70 miles Southwest of our last stop, 25 miles and change west of the nearest 'big town' of Pelly's Crossing. Population: The ranch is run by Dale and Sue Bradley, where they raise cattle, chickens, and whatever veggies grow in permafrost. The nearby town clocks in at 316. Distance from me: 2,553 miles. Known for: The ranch, which is looking for volunteers (much luck with that) and another branch of our Northern Tutchone friends at nearby Fort Selkirk. Temp: -56.6.
3- Olenyok, Russia
Location: Once again in that wonderful Republic of Sakha, about 260 miles north of that soup Restaurant in Morkoko, and 500 miles due west of Swan Tit. Population: 2,273. Distance from me: allegedly 4,768 miles, see note back at "Habardino". Known for: They have their own flag...
Temp: -57.1.
2- Rabbit Kettle Automated Reporting Station (Canada)
Location: The only place that I remember hitting from the last time I tried this, just across the Yukon border into the Northwest Territories, about 35 miles from the nearest 'town', Tungsten. Population: You do understand "automated reporting station, right? Tungsten doesn't help here; it's been a ghost town since 1988 or 89. Distance from me: 2,231 miles. Known for: Low temps; and being stuck between Naatsjchoh and Nahani Nation Park Reserves. Temp: -57.6.
And #1- Selogoncy, Russia
Location: 163 miles NNW of #3, surprise surprise. Population: It is a rural area whose big town is Eyik, clocking in at 344. Distance from me: 4,929 miles, allegedly. Known for: Being on the shore of Lake Eyik, a seasonal home for the endangered Siberian Crane.
Temp: -57.8.
Now, I know some of you are saying, Where's Antarctica? It's coming up on summer down there...the South Pole is currently a balmy -20, while the North Pole, with Santa heating the area with his feverish final preps, is a whopping -9.
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