The South Pole is colder than the North Pole in both winter and summer, mainly because of altitude and geography.

Quick Scoop

  • The South Pole’s average temperatures are about 20–30 °C (35–50 °F) colder than the North Pole, depending on season.
  • Typical averages:
    • North Pole: about −40 °F (−40 °C) in winter and near 32 °F (0 °C) in summer.
* South Pole: about −76 °F (−60 °C) in winter and about −0 to −18 °F (−18 to −28 °C) in summer.

Why the South Pole Is Colder

  • Land vs. ocean : The South Pole sits on the high, icy continent of Antarctica, while the North Pole is over Arctic Ocean sea ice, which is relatively warmer below and helps moderate temperatures.
  • Higher elevation : Antarctica’s ice sheet is several thousand meters thick, so the South Pole is at high altitude, and higher elevation means colder air.
  • More interior : The South Pole is far from the ocean’s warming influence, whereas the Arctic is surrounded by continents and ocean currents that bring in relatively milder air.

Mini FAQ

  • So which is colder, North or South Pole?
    The South Pole is definitively colder in every season.
  • Is either pole “warming faster” lately?
    Recent climate research shows the Arctic (North Pole region) is warming especially quickly, but even with this, the South Pole remains the colder of the two overall.

TL;DR: When asking which is colder north or south pole , the answer is the South Pole , by a wide margin, because it is high, dry land in the middle of Antarctica instead of sea ice over ocean.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.