Which Is The Coldest Place On Earth This Week? It's Not Antarctica, Siberia Or Greenland

Last Updated:January 23, 2026, 20:24 IST

A massive Arctic air mass shift to the south places Canada's Ontario at the centre of the coldest zone on the planet this week, with temperatures dropping to -50 degrees Celsius.

Canada's Ontario has received record snowfall in the past weeks. (Reuters/File)

Several countries are experiencing freezing winter temperatures, but one city is bearing the brunt more than any other. This week, this city will sit at the centre of the world’s coldest air mass, making it the coldest place on the planet.

When we think about the coldest place on Earth, we always think about Antarctica, Greenland or Siberia. However, it’s none of those this time. A massive Arctic air mass shift to the south has placed Canada’s Quebec and Ontario at the centre of the coldest zone on the planet this week, with temperatures dropping to as low as -50 degrees Celsius.

According to a report by MétéoMédia, atmospheric conditions across the Northern Hemisphere show that the most intense Arctic air mass on the planet will be positioned squarely over Ontario and Quebec on Friday and Saturday.

While the daytime temperature is expected to plunge to –20 degrees in Southern Quebec, extreme wind chills may take it down to -30 to -35 degrees. The report says the temperatures would be colder than those in Antarctica, which averages -30 degrees this time of the year. Even with relatively light winds of around 20 km per hour, the mercury will drop to -30 to -35 by the afternoon across much of the province.

Ontario fares worse, as temperatures are expected to drop to -50 degrees on Friday, making it the coldest place on Earth. The city already experienced record-breaking snowfall that led to hundreds of cancelled flights, disrupted transit services, and school closures.

Meteorologist Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist, said the phenomenon was rarely observed “except with the most extreme Siberian cold."

“I think people are underestimating just how bad it’s going to be," Maue told the Associated Press. The centre of a stretched polar vortex will be somewhere above Duluth, Minnesota, by Friday morning, ushering in “long-lasting brutal cold," he said.

Two Great Lakes — Erie and Ontario — may freeze up, which would at least reduce the famed lake-effect snow a bit, he said.

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