Record High Temperature

I remember a couple years ago here in Bowling Green we dealt with some absolutely hot weather, for days. On June 29, 2012 we saw a high temperature that reached 110°F, and I don’t care who you are, that’s hot. But as hot as that was there have been temperatures recorded elsewhere much hotter; this reminded me of a recent change in our weather record books.

For decades and decades it was known that El Azizia, Libya was the record holder for the hottest recorded high temperature on the planet. On September 13, 1922 a temperature of 136°F was recorded in the desert area in the far northwestern portion of the country. However, some red flags caused some concern and led to an extensive analysis of the data by the World Meteorological Organization; the biggest red flag being that the nearby cities were all reading temperatures of around 20°F cooler. Or should I say 20°F less hot?

Upon overlooking data quality concerns such as measurement techniques, location, and instrumentation flaws, the WMO concluded that the temperature reading was no longer valid and was removed from the record books completely. Thus, Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, CA is now the #1 spot on the hottest recorded temperature on Earth; a measurement of 134°F on July 10, 1913.