More than 100 years ago, a small Southern California town measured the highest-ever recorded surface air temperature on Earth. The aptly-named Furnace Creek Ranch remains in the record books to this day.
Death Valley’s unique geography traps heat in a way that few other places on Earth can match. As rising global temperatures set new heat records every year all over the world, this incredible century-old statistic continues to hold.
The record-breaking event
The highest verified surface air temperature was recorded on July 10, 1913, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, reaching 134.1°F (56.7°C). This record is officially recognized by both the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While some locations have recorded higher land surface temperatures—such as 177.4°F (80.8°C) detected by satellites in Iran’s Lut Desert and the Sonoran Desert—these measurements refer to ground temperature, not air temperature.
A higher air temperature of 136.4°F (58°C) was reported in El Azizia, Libya, in 1922. However, the WMO invalidated this record in 2012, reinstating Death Valley as the official record holder, according to Guinness World Records.
Why is Death Valley so hot?
Death Valley’s extreme heat comes from a unique mix of geography and climate. The valley floor sits 282 feet below sea level, so sinking air compresses and heats up as it settles. Mountain ranges surround the basin, trapping that hot air and turning the area into a natural heat chamber.
With very little rainfall and almost no vegetation, sunlight hits bare rock and soil directly. The ground absorbs the heat and radiates it back into the air, intensifying temperatures.
As a result, Death Valley consistently ranks among the hottest places on Earth, with summer highs often exceeding 120°F (49°C).
