What is the coldest day in recorded history?
Much like when we were blogging about the hottest day ever recorded in history, there are various sources giving different answers. It’s really about zoning in on all the sources, determining which ones are the most well-studied and sound, and then making a judgement call from hardcore research. Lucky for you, we did all of that already! We present you with the coldest day ever.
July 20th, 1983
The coldest day ever was, in fact, on July 20th, 1983 in Antarctica when temperatures hit negative 128.6 degrees. Just awful! It’s hard to deny how odd looking it is to see the word “July” mixed with “coldest day ever,” but it adds up because this is, well, Antarctica. This insane temperature was recorded by a Soviet Vostok Station. It’s a good thing the station was there and built for extreme temperatures. If it wasn’t, we’d never even know about this day. We can only hope the Soviet station was installed with a Carrier heating system…
Can you imagine that freezing temperature? That temperature would turn you into a human popsicle! You’d essentially look like those cartoonish images of a frozen person with their hands perfectly placed against the outer layer of the chunk of ice that surrounds their body. Keep this in mind the next time you want to visit Antarctica! Afterall, this was only the 1980s. Unlike the hottest day ever recorded in history, 1983 feels pretty recent. Are we going to see a below-freezing temperature beat this at some point soon? Who knows?
So, let’s specifically think about what -128.6 degrees is like. It would be death-inducing weather for many living things. You would feel the cold take over your body and then encompass even the inside of your body! A very chilly though. Ironically enough, this is being written in what feels like the hottest part of Austin’s summer – the peak of heat before fall rolls in.
All this talk of the cold is making us want to think about a nice, warm, and cozy abode. Make sure your Austin heating is up to par before the winter comes rolling in. Though the epic day mentioned above occurred in July, we can always count on plenty of chilly days in the coming winter – even in Texas. We’d be happy to make sure your HVAC system is 100% prepared for the coldest of days.
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