A woman wearing a bikini lies on the ice of the Buluus glacier in the Yakutia region of Siberia in summer 2019. Photo: The Siberian Times
A woman wearing a bikini lies on the ice of the Buluus glacier in the Yakutia region of Siberia in summer 2019. Photo: The Siberian Times

14 July 2019 (The Siberian Times) – Today it’s +32°C (89.6°F) in Yakutsk, the world’s coldest city, and locals escape heatwave like true Siberians – by chilling on ice.

Today the Buluus glacier is as packed with visitors as the only official beach in Yakutsk, the world’s largest city built on permafrost.

A hidden gem of Yakutia, it lies in a deep valley some 100km from Yakutsk, surrounded by pristine pine forests and lush green meadows.

Aerial view of the Buluus glacier in the Yakutia region of Siberia, 28 June 2019. Photo: Newsflare
Aerial view of the Buluus glacier in the Yakutia region of Siberia, 28 June 2019. Photo: Newsflare

The glacier covers over 1000 hectares, and thanks to dozens of metres of permafrost underneath it, the ice doesn’t melt – even during exceptionally hot summers.

‘This is for real, your eyes are not failing you, it’s ice,’ wrote local woman Zhanna Myasnikova as she shared pictures of herself enjoying the refreshing day at the glacier.

‘The Buluus glacier is a fantastic place to be in the middle of summer when the air heats to over 30C. […]

In this region which straddles the Arctic Circle winter temperatures fall to minus 60C – and below.
Summers are short but can be hot, as locals are experiencing now.

Indeed today at +32C, Yakutsk is hotter than Yemen!

The traditionally coldest part of Siberia is also hotter than leading Spanish holiday hot spots such as Majorca and Marbella. […]

The heatwave in set to last for several more days, with air temperature dropping to a milder +16C by 24 July 2019. [more]

The world’s most unusual beach is a glacier in Russia’s Kingdom of Permafrost