"There are still places on Earth where the cold doesn't come and go. From the wind-carved plateau of Antarctica to the treeless tundra of northern Canada and the high steppes of Mongolia, some countries endure cold not as a passing season but as a permanent backdrop. Average annual temperatures remain well below freezing. Infrastructure is built to withstand months of frost. Entire ways of life revolve around snow, ice, and the rhythms of a long, unrelenting winter."
"In fact, many are warming faster than the global average-not in ways that erase the cold entirely, but in ways that destabilize it. Some years bring deeper snow and heavier storms. Others see the cold arrive weeks later than expected, or retreat sooner. Familiar patterns-once embedded in culture, farming, and daily movement-are beginning to shift. What's changing isn't just the degree of cold but its reliability."
Some regions experience cold as a permanent backdrop, with average annual temperatures well below freezing. Infrastructure in these places is designed to withstand months of frost, and livelihoods revolve around snow, ice, and extended winters. Many of the coldest regions are warming faster than the global average, producing greater variability rather than eliminating cold. Some years bring deeper snow and heavier storms, while others see cold arrive weeks late or retreat sooner, shifting patterns in culture, farming, and daily movement. Loss of seasonal consistency may be more disruptive than absolute temperature increases. 2025 averages from WMO, NASA GISTEMP, Berkeley Earth, and NOAA GHCN include Antarctica −56.7°C, Siberia −5.4°C, northern Canada −4.8°C, Greenland −3.6°C, Mongolia −0.9°C, and Norway 1.3°C.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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