How Cold Does It Get in Antarctica?

Antarctica holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth. At Vostok Station, a Russian research installation located above Lake Vostok on the continent’s high inland ice sheet, the temperature dropped to a record-breaking low of −128.6 °F (−89.2 °C) on July 21, 1983.

During the winter months, temperatures in Antarctica can vary significantly depending on the location. In the interior of the continent, mean winter temperatures can range from −40 to −94 °F (−40 to −70 °C). The coldest period on the inland polar plateau typically occurs in late August, just before the sun returns after the long polar night. Near the coast, the temperatures are milder but still extremely cold, ranging from −4 to −22 °F (−20 to −30 °C).

Even in the summer, when temperatures are at their highest, Antarctica remains frigid. On the Antarctic Peninsula, which is the warmest part of the continent because of maritime influences, midsummer temperatures can reach up to 59 °F (15 °C). However, in most other parts of the continent, summer temperatures are much lower, with mean temperatures ranging from about 32 °F (0 °C) on the coast to between −4 and −31 °F (−20 and −35 °C) in the interior.