"Residents of Russia’s far-eastern city of Yakutsk described how they are coping with extreme cold on Thursday, as temperatures plunged to as low as 46 degrees below zero. Footage shows people walking through snow-covered streets, running around a Christmas tree and stopping to take photographs despite the freezing conditions. "This year seems to be colder than last year. Unusual [frosts]. Before New Year's Eve, I would like it to be around 30–35 degrees [below zero]," one local resident said. Another resident said she had grown accustomed to the severe weather. "It’s been 40 degrees below zero for two weeks now. But I heard it’s going to warm up soon, and thank goodness for that," she said. An even lower temperature was recorded in the village of Oymyakon, where the mercury dropped to 55.8 degrees below zero, according to local meteorological data. The Yakutsk Hydrometeorological Centre said temperatures in the south and west of the region are expected to rise slightly in the coming days, ranging between minus 24 and minus 35 degrees Celsius, with no precipitation forecast."