The hottest air temperature ever officially recorded on Earth is 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius), measured at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, on 10 July 1913. This list ranks ten places by their record heat, starting with places that hold official or reliably measured air temperatures, then the hottest inhabited town and the hottest ground surface. The old version of this article ranked Lut Desert first and listed several places with temperatures that do not match the records, so we rebuilt it.
| # | Place | Record | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furnace Creek, Death Valley, USA | 134.1 F (56.7 C), official world record | 10 July 1913 |
| 2 | Kebili, Tunisia | 131 F (55.0 C), cited as Africa’s record | Disputed |
| 3 | Tirat Zvi, Israel | Between 52.0 and 54.4 C, Asia’s record | 1942 |
| 4 | Mitribah, Kuwait | Exactly 54.0 C (about 129 F) | 21 July 2016 |
| 5 | Basra, Iraq | 129.0 F (53.9 C) | 22 July 2016 |
| 6 | Turbat, Pakistan | 128.7 F (53.7 C) | 28 May 2017 |
| 7 | Oodnadatta, Australia | 123.3 F (50.7 C) | 2 January 1960 |
| 8 | Dallol, Ethiopia | Annual average 94.3 F (34.6 C) | 1960 to 1966 |
| 9 | Lut Desert, Iran | 159.3 F (70.7 C) ground, from satellite | 2005 |
| 10 | Al Aziziya, Libya | 136.0 F (57.8 C), decertified record | 13 Sept 1922 |
What counts as the hottest place on Earth?
Meteorologists measure air temperature 1.5 meters above the ground in the shade. That is the standard for the official world record. Ground and satellite readings run far hotter, because dark sand and rock can be 30 to 50 degrees Celsius above the air. The ranking below puts air-temperature records first, in order, and the ground and disputed records after them.
1. Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California: 134.1 F (56.7 C)
The World Meteorological Organization still recognizes the 134.1 F reading from 10 July 1913 as the highest air temperature ever measured. Death Valley is a desert basin in eastern California and the lowest, driest place in North America.
The record is not free of doubt. Weather historians have argued that the 1913 reading is a few degrees too high, and a new reading of 54.4 C was taken at Furnace Creek in August 2020 and again in July 2021, both pending validation. The WMO has stood by the 1913 record so far.
2. Kebili, Tunisia: 131 F (55.0 C)
The WMO cites Kebili as having recorded the highest temperature in Africa, 55.0 C or 131 F. The oasis town in southern Tunisia is known for its date palms.
Some meteorologists dispute the reading, because no modern reading at Kebili has gone above 48.8 C, and the highest temperature recorded in Africa since then is 51.3 C in Ouargla, Algeria, on 5 July 2018.
3. Tirat Zvi, Israel: up to 54.4 C
Tirat Zvi is a kibbutz in the Beit She’an Valley, 220 meters below sea level. On 21 June 1942 it recorded the highest daytime temperature in Asia, listed as 54.4 C in some accounts and 54.0 C in others.
Researchers have questioned the measurement. Published thermograph data suggest it was somewhere between 52.0 and 54.4 C, so the figure carries a wide margin.
4. Mitribah, Kuwait: 54.0 C
On 21 July 2016 a weather station at Mitribah in northwest Kuwait recorded 54.0 C, the second-highest temperature ever reliably measured on Earth.
If the 1913 Death Valley record were ever struck, this reading would be part of a three-way tie for the highest air temperature, together with Furnace Creek in 2013 and Tirat Zvi in 1942.
5. Basra, Iraq: 129.0 F (53.9 C)
Basra hit 53.9 C on 22 July 2016, the highest temperature ever recorded in Iraq and one of the highest measured anywhere. The city is in the south of the country, near the Persian Gulf.
6. Turbat, Pakistan: 128.7 F (53.7 C)
On 28 May 2017 Turbat, in Balochistan, recorded 53.7 C, give or take 0.4 degrees. The WMO counts the reading among the hottest on record, and Turbat is one of the hottest cities in South Asia.
7. Oodnadatta, Australia: 123.3 F (50.7 C)
The outback town of Oodnadatta recorded 50.7 C on 2 January 1960. It is the highest reliably measured temperature in Australia and in the Southern Hemisphere.
The old version of this list put Queensland here, citing a 49.5 C reading at Birdsville in 1972. The national record is higher.
8. Dallol, Ethiopia: the hottest inhabited place by average
Dallol sits in Ethiopia’s Danakil Desert. It holds the record for the highest average temperature of an inhabited place on Earth: an annual average of 34.6 C (94.3 F), recorded between 1960 and 1966. Dallol is among the most remote places on the planet, and paved roads were only built there in 2015.
The record rewards consistency, not a single peak reading.
9. Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut), Iran: 159.3 F (70.7 C) on the ground
Satellite measurements between 2003 and 2010 found the hottest land surface on Earth in the Lut Desert, with the surface of the sand reaching 70.7 C in 2005. The air above it could have been anywhere from 30 to 54 C at the time.
The basin is 480 kilometers long and 320 kilometers wide, and its Gandom Beryan plateau is covered in dark lava. We rank it ninth because its record is a ground reading, not air.
10. Al Aziziya, Libya: the record that was erased
From 1922 until 2012, the world’s highest recorded temperature was 57.8 C (136.0 F), measured at Al Aziziya, Libya, on 13 September 1922. In January 2012 the WMO decertified it, after investigators concluded an inexperienced observer had probably misread a new instrument.
The decision handed the title back to Death Valley, and raised questions about the 1913 reading too. This is the one entry on the list that no longer counts as a record.
FAQ
What is the hottest place on Earth?
By official air temperature it is Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, where 134.1 F (56.7 C) was recorded on 10 July 1913.
Is Death Valley’s record still valid?
The World Meteorological Organization still lists it, though some weather historians dispute it. Newer readings of 54.4 C in 2020 and 2021 are pending validation.
What was the hottest temperature ever recorded in Africa?
Kebili, Tunisia is cited by the WMO at 55.0 C (131 F), though some meteorologists dispute the reading.
Where is the hottest ground temperature?
The Lut Desert in Iran, where satellites measured the sand surface at 70.7 C (159.3 F) in 2005.
What happened to the Libya record?
The 136.0 F reading at Al Aziziya in 1922 was decertified in January 2012 after investigators decided it was a misread instrument.
How we put this list together
We ranked places by their highest recorded or reliably measured temperatures, giving air readings from the World Meteorological Organization’s record system priority over ground and satellite measurements. Disputed records are labelled as such.
Last updated: October 2026.
