Top Ten Worst Weather Places on Earth: From Russia to Antarctica

Did you think the weather in your city was bad? Think again. One man has attempted to name the top ten worst weather places in the world, citing locations with frigid temperatures and hot summers. 

The new list actually comes from Ed Darack, who wrote "The 10 Worst Weather Places in the World" featured in Weatherwise magazine. Actually defining what "bad" weather is isn't an easy task, though. Darack tackled it by analyzing the conditions themselves and looking at the data available.

More specifically, he examined what events had the most significant impacts and how often they occur in any particular area. That said, this list doesn't encompass every area on Earth; some of the harshest climates where risk to human life is significant has little data. However, it does provide some way to assess what regions are some of the hardest to live in.

So what exactly are the worst places to live on Earth? Oymyakon, which is in Russian Siberia, ranks as number ten on the list. The place known as Oymyakon has reached the lowest temperature on Earth outside of Antarctica. It's also the coldest place that's also permanently inhabited. In fact, temperatures as low as -89.9 degrees Fahrenheit have been witnessed, and on average it drops to -50 degrees Fahrenheit every night. It's also one of the places on the planet with the greatest annual swing; summertime temperatures can reach up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yet this isn't the only location on the list. Number six on the list is Gandom-e Beryan in Iran. This location is known for the hottest land surface temperature ever recorded. Over the course of 2003 to 2009, this area reached a staggering 153.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

So what is the absolute worst possible location for weather? Unsurprisingly, it's Antarctica. At the Vostok Station on the east Antarctic Ice Sheet, temperatures can plummet to -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit. No animals can exist naturally at Vostok and it's so cold that it hurts to breathe. This area also experiences persistent winds ranging from 10 to 60 miles per hour, and less than one inch of precipitation falls each year. That makes this location an icy desert.

Want to learn about the other top locations for worst weather? Check out the full list here.