Hottest temperature ever recorded, and the coldest, on Earth

The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, as recognized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is 56.7 °C (134 °F), measured at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913. The coldest is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), recorded at Russia's Vostok research station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. Both are air temperatures measured in the shade, the only kind that counts as an official weather record.

Key takeaways

• World heat record: 56.7 °C (134 °F) at Furnace Creek, Death Valley (US), on July 10, 1913, according to the WMO.
• World cold record: −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) at Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.
• US cold record: −80 °F (−62 °C) at Prospect Creek, Alaska, on January 23, 1971; the lower 48 record is −70 °F (−57 °C) at Rogers Pass, Montana, on January 20, 1954.
• UK heat record: 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19, 2022, according to the Met Office.
• Europe's record is 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) in Sicily in 2021, and Spain's is 47.6 °C (117.7 °F) at La Rambla, Córdoba, in 2021.

What are the official temperature records?

Official temperature records are the ones validated by a weather body: the WMO for world and continental records, and each national service (NOAA's National Weather Service in the US, the Met Office in the UK, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia, AEMET in Spain) for its own country.

Area	Hottest	Coldest
World	56.7 °C (134 °F), Furnace Creek, US, July 10, 1913	−89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), Vostok, Antarctica, July 21, 1983
United States	134 °F (56.7 °C), Death Valley, 1913	−80 °F (−62 °C), Prospect Creek, Alaska, January 23, 1971
US lower 48	134 °F (56.7 °C), Death Valley, 1913	−70 °F (−57 °C), Rogers Pass, Montana, January 20, 1954
Canada	49.6 °C (121.3 °F), Lytton, BC, June 29, 2021	−63.0 °C (−81.4 °F), Snag, Yukon, February 3, 1947
United Kingdom	40.3 °C (104.5 °F), Coningsby, July 19, 2022	−27.2 °C (−17 °F), Braemar (1895, 1982) and Altnaharra (1995)
Australia	50.7 °C (123.3 °F), Oodnadatta (1960) and Onslow (2022)
Europe	48.8 °C (119.8 °F), near Syracuse, Sicily, August 11, 2021
Spain	47.6 °C (117.7 °F), La Rambla, Córdoba, August 14, 2021	−30.0 °C (−22 °F), Calamocha, Teruel, December 17, 1963

Satellites detect desert ground surfaces far hotter than any of these values, but ground temperature is not a weather record: the official measure is the air, in the shade, inside a ventilated screen.

How is a temperature record validated?

A temperature record is validated by checking that the value is physically plausible and was measured correctly. The WMO, through a committee of experts, reviews each candidate world or continental record, and national services do the same with theirs.

1. The instrument: a calibrated thermometer inside a ventilated screen, in the shade, 1.25 to 2 m (4 to 6.5 ft) above the ground.
2. The site: away from buildings, asphalt or other heat sources.
3. The weather pattern: the situation that day, such as a strong heat dome or an Arctic air mass, must explain the value.
4. Nearby stations: they should show similar, if slightly lower, values.
5. Reanalysis data: model reconstructions help confirm the situation.

If anything fails, the value is rejected. That is why car thermometers and street signs do not count: they measure in the sun, close to the pavement.

What is the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth?

The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth is 56.7 °C (134 °F), measured on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch, now Furnace Creek, in Death Valley, California. The WMO keeps it in its Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes.

It is a disputed record: some climatologists think the 1913 reading was too high compared with nearby stations, but the WMO keeps it unless a new investigation shows otherwise.

For decades the world record was 58 °C (136.4 °F) at El Azizia, Libya, from 1922. In 2012 the WMO threw it out after an investigation found errors, including an inexperienced observer and an unsuitable instrument. That case shows why records are checked so carefully.

What is the hottest place on Earth?

Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth by record air temperature, and it passes 50 °C (122 °F) in many summers. By yearly average, the record is usually given to Dallol, in the Danakil Depression of Ethiopia, where the mean temperature was about 35 °C (95 °F) in measurements from 1960 to 1966. Deserts such as the Lut in Iran reach higher ground temperatures, but that is not air temperature.

What is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the US?

The hottest temperature ever recorded in the US is also the world record, 134 °F (56.7 °C) in Death Valley in 1913. Among the states, Arizona's record is 128 °F (53.3 °C) at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994, and Texas's is 120 °F (48.9 °C), reached at Seymour on August 12, 1936 and matched at Monahans on June 28, 1994.

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in the US?

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the US is −80 °F (−62 °C) at Prospect Creek, Alaska, on January 23, 1971, at a camp built for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. In the lower 48 states, the record is −70 °F (−57 °C) at Rogers Pass, Montana, on January 20, 1954.

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth?

The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), measured at Vostok station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983, in the middle of the southern winter. Vostok sits about 3,500 m (11,500 ft) up on the East Antarctic ice sheet, far from the moderating effect of the ocean.

In permanently inhabited places, the lowest readings come from Siberia, in towns such as Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk, which have fallen well below −60 °C (−76 °F). In North America, Snag in Canada's Yukon holds the record at −63.0 °C (−81.4 °F).

What are the UK and Europe temperature records?

The hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19, 2022, the first time the country passed 40 °C. The coldest is −27.2 °C (−17 °F), reached at Braemar in Scotland in 1895 and 1982, and at Altnaharra in 1995, according to the Met Office.

Europe's record is 48.8 °C (119.8 °F), measured on August 11, 2021 near Syracuse, in Sicily, Italy. The WMO confirmed it after checking the sensor, the screen and the data logger, and comparing it with the weather pattern and nearby stations. The previous record, 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) in Athens in 1977, had never been independently verified.

What is the highest temperature ever recorded in Spain?

The highest temperature ever recorded in Spain is 47.6 °C (117.7 °F), at La Rambla, Córdoba, on August 14, 2021, during a heat wave over the south. AEMET validated it after a detailed review. That day Montoro, also in Córdoba, reached 47.4 °C (117.3 °F) and was first reported as the record.

The Guadalquivir valley, between Seville and Córdoba, holds the country's highest readings: hot air builds up in a basin open to the west, sheltered from the sea breeze and with dry soil in summer. In June 2025 AEMET reported 46.0 °C (114.8 °F) at El Granado, Huelva, a new national record for June. The summer of 2026 was Spain's hottest since its official series began in 1961, but the highest values at the main stations, such as 44.2 °C (111.6 °F) in Murcia on July 23, stayed below the 2021 record.

The lowest value at AEMET's main observatories is −30.0 °C (−22 °F) at Calamocha, Teruel, on December 17, 1963. You can check the 14 day forecast for Seville when a heat wave is on the way.

Why are so many heat records being broken?

Heat records are falling more often because the planet has warmed, so a heat wave today starts from a higher baseline than 50 years ago. In Spain, AEMET's main network now records many more heat records than cold ones, as we explain in climate change in Spain.

Years with a strong El Niño add a tenth of a degree or two to the global temperature, which makes world records easier to break; we explain why in El Niño vs La Niña. Cold records are still possible, but they are getting rarer.

How to use Clima de Hoy when extreme temperatures are forecast

When your weather service warns of extreme heat or cold, check the hourly forecast for Madrid or your own city to see when the high or low will arrive and what the feels-like temperature will be. If you will spend hours outside on days above 40 °C (104 °F), review the signs of heat stroke, and in an emergency call 911 in the US and Canada, 999 in the UK, 112 in the EU or 000 in Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the hottest place on Earth?

The place with the highest air temperature ever recorded is Furnace Creek, in Death Valley, California, with 56.7 °C (134 °F) on July 10, 1913, according to the WMO. Death Valley often passes 50 °C (122 °F) in summer. Dallol, in Ethiopia, holds the record for the highest average temperature.

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in the world?

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the world is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), at Vostok station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. Vostok lies about 3,500 m (11,500 ft) above sea level on the East Antarctic ice sheet. The WMO lists it as the official world cold record.

What is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK?

The hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 40.3 °C (104.5 °F), at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19, 2022. The Met Office confirmed it as the national record, beating the previous 38.7 °C (101.7 °F). It was the first time the UK had passed 40 °C.

Who decides if a temperature is a world record?

World and continental records are decided by the World Meteorological Organization after review by a committee of experts. The committee checks the instrument, the site, the weather situation and data from nearby stations. Only then does the value enter its Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes.