what was the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth
The hottest air temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth is 56.7 °C (134 °F), measured at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913.
Quick Scoop 🌍🔥
- Location: Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley, California, USA.
- Temperature: 56.7 °C (134 °F).
- Date: July 10, 1913.
- Status: Recognized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the world’s highest official surface air temperature.
What About That Libya Record?
For decades, many people thought the hottest temperature was 57.8 °C (136 °F), recorded on September 13, 1922, in ʽAziziya, Libya.
- In 2012, a WMO investigation found problems with that Libyan reading: observer error, instrument issues, and poor siting.
- As a result, the 1922 Libya value was decertified , and the 1913 Death Valley reading once again became the world record.
In other words: the Libyan number was hotter on paper, but it didn’t pass the reliability test.
“Official” vs “Hottest Spot on Earth”
There’s a twist: satellite data can detect extreme surface temperatures (ground skin temperature), which can be even higher than the air temperature at standard instrument height.
- Satellite analyses have found ultra‑hot land surface temperatures, especially in places like Iran’s Lut Desert.
- However, these are not the same as the standardized air temperature measurements used for the world record.
So for the classic trivia question “what was the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth,” the accepted answer is still 56.7 °C (134 °F) in Death Valley, 1913.
At-a-glance facts (HTML table)
| Place | Country | Type of record | Temperature | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley | United States | Official air temperature | 56.7 °C (134 °F) | 10 July 1913 | Current world record (WMO) |
| ʽAziziya | Libya | Air temperature | 57.8 °C (136 °F) | 13 September 1922 | Record decertified in 2012 |
Why This Still Matters Now
With recent heatwaves and frequent climate news, the Death Valley record gets revisited whenever a new extreme is logged in places like the Middle East, North Africa, or the U.S. Southwest.
- Some modern readings (around 54 °C / 129 °F) in places like Kuwait and Death Valley are among the hottest reliably measured in the modern instrument era.
- Climate scientists watch these extremes closely as part of tracking how a warming climate is pushing the limits of human‑habitable heat.
TL;DR: The hottest officially recorded air temperature on Earth is 56.7 °C (134 °F) in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913, and it remains the recognized world record today.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.