The hottest air temperature ever was 56.7°C
On a July afternoon in 1913, a thermometer in Death Valley hit 134°F — still the world record more than a century later.
The highest air temperature reliably recorded on Earth is 56.7°C (134°F), measured at Furnace Creek in California’s Death Valley on 10 July 1913.
The U.S. National Park Service, which manages the site, confirms the reading and notes it came amid a brutal heat wave — five days in a row reached 129°F (54°C) or higher. Death Valley, it says, “holds the record for the hottest place on Earth.”
The valley’s geography supercharges the heat: a deep, narrow basin below sea level traps and recirculates hot air, while surrounding peaks block cooler maritime breezes.
The 1913 figure has drawn scrutiny from weather historians, but the World Meteorological Organization continues to recognise it as the official global record pending any new evidence.
Sources & references
2 referencesWell-established. Corroborated by 2 independent sources.
