13 August 2023 , 08:00
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Brutal, record-breaking heat has seen soaring temperatures pop up across the United States - especially in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and Death Valley, California - and has many desiring the colder months and locations.
But where exactly is the coldest place in the United States? It may come as no surprise to some that the coldest place in the United States would not be located in the contiguous US but actually in Alaska.
Fairbanks, Alaska, takes the prize as the location with the most chilly temperatures despite having what's considered a continental climate.
While they can experience a brisk maximum high of 52F (11C) at the beginning of the year, that rarely happens, with temperatures actually sitting around -8F (-22C) on average.
Temperatures sit around -8F (-22C) on average (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Record lows have seen Fairbanks hit with a freezing, teeth-chattering -66F (-54C). The coldest January in the city was back in 1906, when mean temperatures for the whole month were -36.4F (38C), according to Travel Snippet.
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
So why is Fairbanks so incredibly chilly? The city sits on the 64th parallel, just two notches below the Arctic Circle, making it the northernmost city in the United States.
The city sits on the 64th parallel, just two notches below the Arctic Circle, making it the most northernmost city in the United States (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)The city has been designated as the coldest city in North America and one of the coldest places in North America with permanent habitation. But don't be swayed by the brutal cold. Fairbanks has fairly decent summer temperatures, and southerly chinook winds even get up to a whopping 100F (38C).
In the contiguous US and just south of the Canada border, the city of Rogers Pass in Montana has the title as being the coldest place in the United States. Sitting high on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the small town is not much to brag about as far as size.
Despite the brutal winter, Fairbanks has fairly decent summer temperatures (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)A record temperature of -70F (-57C) was tracked back in 1954 when a meteorologist chasing a severe cold front system measured temperature in the area after a heavy snowfall.
While one would maybe think that the coldest place in the world is at either of the Poles, the designation actually goes to Verkhoyansk in Siberia. The small town has had the lowest recorded temperature of -94F (-70C), according to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Verkhoyansk sits in the middle of a large land mass, making it a prime location for the cold to convene. They too also have relatively warm summers, having no water surrounding them for a while.