Vostok Station

Antarctica

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July 15, 2026

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Vostok Station is a Russian research facility located on Antarctica's high inland ice sheet, above Lake Vostok. It holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth: -128.6 °F (-89.2 °C) on July 21, 1983. This region experiences extremely cold temperatures year-round, with winter temperatures in the interior ranging from -40 to -94 °F (-40 to -70 °C). Even in summer, temperatures in most interior areas remain well below freezing. The climate is characterized by bitterly cold temperatures and scant precipitation, with temperatures remaining below freezing throughout the year.123

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Antarctica
Climate of Antarctica
…lowest recorded temperature, measured at Vostok Station (Russia) on July 21, 1983, on the high inland ice sheet to −76 °F (−60 °C) near sea level. Temperatures vary greatly from place to place, but direct measurements in most places are generally available only for summertime. Only at fixed stations operated…
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…lowest recorded temperature, measured at Vostok Station (Russia) on July 21, 1983, on the high inland ice sheet to −76 °F (−60 °C) near sea level. Temperatures vary greatly from place to place, but direct measurements in most places are generally available only for summertime. Only at fixed stations operated…
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Lake Vostok
…miles (4 km) beneath Russia’s Vostok Station on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), the water body is also the largest subglacial lake known. Running more than 150 miles (about 240 km) long with a maximum width of about 31 miles (50 km), the lake is roughly elliptical in shape,…
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…miles (4 km) beneath Russia’s Vostok Station on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), the water body is also the largest subglacial lake known. Running more than 150 miles (about 240 km) long with a maximum width of about 31 miles (50 km), the lake is roughly elliptical in shape,…
Read More