A Thermometer Just Broke At -62°C (-80°F) In The World’s Coldest Village

Oymyakon, Siberia is the coldest village on Earth. It’s so cold there, that thermometers literally break. The freezing cold village reached a low of -62 degrees Celsius this year, but Oymyakon also holds the record for the coldest recorded temperature in history (outside of Antarctica): a bitterly chilling -67.7 degrees Celsius in 1933.

New Zealand based Photographer Amos Chapple traveled to Oymyakon, Siberia to photograph the everyday life of its roughly 500 inhabitants. He told weather.com: “I remember feeling like the cold was physically gripping my legs, the other surprise was that occasionally my saliva would freeze into needles that would prick my lips.”

Since Chapple traveled there, the temperatures have become even lower, and the citizens of the coldest village on Earth are still braving the elements. Though the broken thermometer showed the temperature at -62 degrees Celsius, locals say it was even colder, claiming the temperature to be as low as -68 degrees Celsius.

People still need to drive in the freezing cold village, but their cars need to be stored in heated garages to prevent the engines from freezing. Outside, the cars must be left running.