10
Amazing Cold Facts You Should Know
Cold temperatures are fascinating in many ways, and there are probably a lot of things you didn't know about them. From the coldest place on earth to the longest winter on record, here are 10 amazing cold facts you should know.
1. The coldest place on earth is Antarctica. The lowest ground temperature ever recorded was minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 89.2 degrees Celsius) at the Soviet Union's Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.
2. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States was minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62 degrees Celsius) at Prospect Creek, Alaska in 1971.
3. The longest winter on record lasted 11 months and 15 days, from October 15, 1949 to September 30, 1950, in Lipscomb, Texas.
4. The largest hailstone ever recorded in the United States weighed 1.94 pounds (0.88 kg), had a diameter of 7.9 inches (20 cm), and fell in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23, 2010
5. The North Pole is colder than the South Pole. The average temperature at the South Pole is around minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 50 degrees Celsius), while the average temperature at the North Pole is around minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 degrees Celsius).
6. If you were in outer space without any insulation, you would freeze very quickly, but not because space is cold. The vacuum of space is actually a great insulator, so your body would radiate heat away faster than it could produce it, causing you to cool down rapidly.
7. The term "wind chill" was first coined in 1945 by two Antarctic explorers, Paul Siple and Charles Passel. Wind chill is the temperature your body feels when the wind is blowing, taking into account the effects of wind on heat loss from exposed skin.
8. The tallest snowman ever built was 122 feet 1 inch (37.21 meters) tall, and was constructed in Bethel, Maine in 2008.
9. Snowflakes aren't always six-sided. Depending on the temperature and moisture content of the air, snowflakes can have many different shapes and sizes, including needles, columns, plates, and even irregular shapes.
10 The world's largest indoor ski center is the SnowWorld in Landgraaf, Netherlands. It has five ski slopes and is open all year round, with temperatures inside ranging from minus 4 to minus 6 degrees Celsius.
In conclusion, cold temperatures have many interesting and surprising facts, from the coldest temperature on record to the largest snowman ever built. These 10 amazing cold facts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fascinating world of cold temperatures.