In This Siberian Village, You Have to Leave Your Car Running Overnight — Or It Might Never Start Again

Oymyakon, a small settlement in Russia's Sakha Republic, is considered one of the coldest permanently inhabited places on Earth — winter temperatures there regularly fall below minus 50 degrees Celsius.

Locals have adapted their daily lives to these conditions in a remarkable way: cars are often left running all night, because in that kind of cold, the oil and fuel can freeze solid enough after shutdown that restarting the engine becomes nearly impossible.

Despite the extreme cold, Oymyakon still runs a school, shops, and normal community life — classes only get cancelled at truly extreme temperatures, far harsher than what most countries would consider a weather catastrophe.

In summer, the same location can see temperatures climb past 30 degrees Celsius, giving it one of the largest annual temperature swings anywhere on the planet.