Climate
With an extreme subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfd), Yakutsk has the coldest winter temperatures for any city, though not for any inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from +19.5 °C (67.10 °F) in July to −38.6 °C (−37.5 °F) in January, and only Norilsk has a lower mean annual temperature for any settlement of over 10,000. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast of Yakutsk. Although winters are long and extremely cold, summers are warm (though rather short), with daily maximum temperatures occasionally exceeding +32 °C (90 °F), making the seasonal temperature differences for the region among the greatest in the world. The lowest temperature recorded in Yakutsk was −64.4 °C (−83.9 °F) and highest +38.4 °C (101.12 °F). As the biggest city built on continuous permafrost, most houses in Yakutsk are built on concrete piles.
The climate is quite dry, with maximum precipitation occurring in the summer months, due to the intense Siberian High forming around the very cold continental air during the winter. Even during the summer, precipitation is not heavy since the moist southeasterly winds from the Pacific Ocean lose their moisture over the coastal mountains well before reaching the Lena valley.
With the Lena River navigable in the summer, there are various boat cruises offered, including upriver to the Lena Pillars, and downriver tours which visit spectacular scenery in the lower reaches and the Lena delta.
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| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Climate data for Yakutsk, 1971-2000 | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | −5.8 (21.6) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
8.3 (46.9) |
21.1 (70.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
35.1 (95.2) |
38.4 (101.1) |
35.4 (95.7) |
27.0 (80.6) |
18.6 (65.5) |
3.1 (37.6) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
38.4 (101.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −35.1 (−31.2) |
−28.6 (−19.5) |
−12.3 (9.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
21.5 (70.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−23.1 (−9.6) |
−34.3 (−29.7) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −38.6 (−37.5) |
−33.6 (−28.5) |
−20.1 (−4.2) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
16.4 (61.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
15.2 (59.4) |
6.1 (43.0) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−27 (−17) |
−37.6 (−35.7) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −41.5 (−42.7) |
−38.2 (−36.8) |
−27.4 (−17.3) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
8.9 (48.0) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−31 (−24) |
−40.4 (−40.7) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −63 (−81) |
−64.4 (−83.9) |
−54.9 (−66.8) |
−41 (−42) |
−18.1 (−0.6) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−14.2 (6.4) |
−40.9 (−41.6) |
−54.5 (−66.1) |
−59.8 (−75.6) |
−64.4 (−83.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 9 (0.35) |
8 (0.31) |
7 (0.28) |
8 (0.31) |
20 (0.79) |
35 (1.38) |
38 (1.5) |
37 (1.46) |
31 (1.22) |
18 (0.71) |
16 (0.63) |
10 (0.39) |
237 (9.33) |
| % humidity | 76 | 76 | 70 | 60 | 54 | 57 | 62 | 67 | 72 | 78 | 78 | 76 | 68.8 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 4.1 | 53.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 18.6 | 98.0 | 232.5 | 273.0 | 303.8 | 333.0 | 347.2 | 272.8 | 174.0 | 105.4 | 60.0 | 9.3 | 2,227.6 |
| Source #1: Pogoda.ru.net | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: HKO | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Yakutsk
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—Carol B. Hillman (20th century)