When it comes to the best weather, you may reconsider living in these extremely cold countries. If you want a tropical paradise, where the sun shines 24/7, where it is hot as hell and you can walk around almost naked through the streets, chances are you are not going to find that in here. We are not questioning the undeniable beauty of these amazing countries. All we are saying here is that they are cold. Like, really cold. Like the type of cold that when you sneeze, it actually comes out as hail. Well, we may be exaggerating a little bit with that, but in all seriousness, you could totally live in icebergs up in here. Still too much? Well, damn, the thing is that it is cold. You get the just of it. Here are some of the coldest countries in the world:
- Nepal
This landlocked country in South Asia has a lot of diversity when it comes to ecosystems, ranging from epic forests to incredibly high mountains, like the Everest. It is really beautiful, but really cold too. The northern mountain region, around an altitude above 3,300m, has an alpine climate with considerably lower temperature in winter as can be expected. However, not every part of this country is like that. The low-land Terai region with its maximum altitude to approximately 305m, which lies in the tropical southern part of the country, for instance, has a hot and humid climate that can rise above 45 Degree Celsius (113 Degree Fahrenheit) during summer.
- Lithuania
This country in Northern Europe is considered to be one of the most progressive countries in the world. It formed in the aftermath of World War I, and is vastly growing its economy and resources in general, to the point of being considered a “very high human development” country. It is also very cold at some of its zones, especially in winter. Some of them can be very cold. −20 °C (−4 °F) occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are −34 °C (−29 °F) in coastal areas and −43 °C (−45 °F) in the east of Lithuania. Snow occurs every year; it can snow from October to April. In some years sleet can fall in September or May.
- Ukraine
This Eastern Europe country may be really beautiful, but it still does not distract from the fact that it is too cold to be true. Average annual temperatures range from 5.5–7 °C (41.9–44.6 °F) in the north to 11–13 °C (51.8–55.4 °F) in the south. January is the coldest month with daytime temperatures usually around 0°C, but in some cases, winter months can be quite colder with temperatures far below zero, about -20°C or lower and strong, cold northeasterly winds, called Bora. In all fairness, it does have an enjoyable summer, but we understand if you do not want to go there after the facts exposed.
- Switzerland
Ok, we are not going to lie. Switzerland is an incredible country. It is sophisticated, auto-dependent and really works very good as a country in the general sense of the idea. It has a great government who looks after its civilians, and which offers them first-class education for their children. Certainly, you couldn’t ask for more. But it is its climate which represents the only thinkable down part. Temperatures depend largely on altitude, with averages 5°C lower for each additional 300 m of elevation. However, in its defense, summers can be hot, with temperatures sometimes reaching 30°C or more, while its evenings are usually cool.
- Austria
Austria, located in the European heartland, lies within a temperate climatic zone. “Weather conditions vary only slightly across the country, the lowland regions in the north and east have more continental influenced conditions with colder winters and hotter summers with moderate precipitation throughout the year”, according to the Austria’s web page. This means that not every part of this country is cold as bonkers, but still, the areas that do are cold, are very freaking cold. Definitely not bathing-suit appropriate.
- Latvia
The weather in this country could be described as the typical European continental influenced climate with warm, dry summers and fairly severe winters. January is the coldest month with daytime temperatures usually around -5°C, but in some cases, winter months can be quite colder with temperatures far below zero, about -20°C or lower and strong, cold northeasterly winds.
- Denmark
While the summer in this country is quite pleasant, and it’s your best option if you want to visit this great place, which we encourage you to do, the winter in here is another story completely. The winter in Denmark can be quite cold. Temperature falls sometimes until 15 – 30°C below zero. Then the country is ruled by snow, ice, and icy winds. It actually turns into a frozen hell. Well, maybe that adjective is reserved for the top countries in our list. But it is still extreme.
- Sweden
The country that gave birth to the legendary football player Ibrahimovic, it is a quite stunning place to visit. Just do not go there in winter. More specifically, do not go there in February, as it is usually Sweden’s coldest month, with temperatures from – 22 to -3°C. In northern Sweden, winter temperatures often drop to -30°C, sometimes even lower.
- Greenland
This country is covered in ice the majority of the year. We should just stop right there. This is ironic, considering its name could refer to the green fields that could grow there. But no, it’s mostly ice. While the average temperature across the land is -10°C, winters can easily go up to -65°C. Even during the warmest summer months, Greenland has a maximum temperature of around 8°C, which makes a human influence on this wild, desolate land negligible.
- Kazakhstan
Like most of the countries featured on this list, the summer in this country is quite pleasant. It’s the winter that gives us nightmares, with its harsh and erratic rainfall, coupled with the hilly topography; make the climate so cold, that the summers seem like a distant dream. Average winter temperatures range between -20 and -30°C. More on next page.
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