A temperature of -89.2°C (-128.6°F) was recorded at Russia's Vostok Station, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983 — still the WMO's official record for the coldest directly measured air temperature. Satellite data has since detected even colder skin temperatures (as low as -98°C) on the East Antarctic Plateau, but these are not officially recognized because the exact height above ground they represent is difficult to determine.
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A temperature of -89.2°C (-128.6°F) was recorded at Russia's Vostok Station, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983 — still the WMO's official record for the coldest directly measured air temperature. Satellite data has since detected even colder skin temperatures (as low as -98°C) on the East Antarctic Plateau, but these are not officially recognized because the exact height above ground they represent is difficult to determine.
The lowest air temperature ever directly measured at Earth's surface, as recognized by the World Meteorological Organization.
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Limits Registry. LR-COLDEST-TEMPERATURE. Coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth. 2026.