Records going back more than a century have recorded the hottest temperatures in the world, with some days making the list from 100 years ago, while others are just recent additions. But they all have one thing in common: it’s really hot outside.
Have you been to one of these places that made the list for hottest recorded temperatures on Earth? See the data from Visual Capitalist below, who break it down by country.
Death Valley Is Still the Peak
In 1913, Death Valley, California recorded the highest temperature on record, coming in at 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The area still holds the modern record after more than 100 years of sitting on top of the list.
So what makes Death Valley so hot? It’s actually the elevation—or really, the lack of elevation—that makes the area get so toasty. Furnace Creek in Death Valley, where the record temperature was recorded, is around 190 feet below sea level. When warm air descends, it gets an extra push downward from the atmosphere, trapping that extra heat close to the earth.
Furnace Creek is also in a valley surrounded by mountains that trap the hot air, giving it no escape from the surface. The desert valley also only gets around two inches of rain each year. Add all of that together and it’s a recipe for Furnace Creek feeling like an actual furnace.
Death Valley may have a slightly tenuous hold on the record, however. Climate experts and historians have questioned the validity of the record, but it’s still recognized for now as the hottest temperature ever recorded by the World Meteorological Organization’s record keepers.
Other Hot Spots Around the World
Kebili, Tunisia in northern Africa recorded the second-hottest temperature on record, with a mark of 131 degrees Fahrenheit in 1931. But like the Death Valley record, there is some debate about how accurately the temperature was recorded.
In third place is Mitribah, Kuwait, which recorded a high temperature of 129.2 degrees in 2016. In fact, the Middle East has several hot spots on the list of the hottest temperatures ever recorded. Of the top 20 hottest places on Earth, a majority of them have occurred in the Middle East or countries nearby.
Unlike the two records that sit on top of the list from a century ago, the Middle Eastern records in the top 20 have mainly made the list in the 21st century.
Recent Additions Dominate the Hottest Days
Of the top 20 hottest temperatures ever recorded, 13 of them were set in the 21st century. Scientists believe one factor may be global warming, with NASA estimating that the temperature of the Earth has gone up at least 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since reliable records began around 1880.
That change is reflected in not only the hottest temperatures ever recorded but also the hottest temperatures recorded per continent, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Three of the seven continents have recorded their hottest temperatures in the past decade. Kuwait—the third-hottest spot—is considered the hottest temperature ever recorded in Asia, setting the high mark in 2016. Italy picked up a high of 119.8 degrees Fahrenheit in 2021, now holding Europe’s record for hottest spot, although that temperature doesn’t crack the top 20 all-time highs.
Even Antarctica has a recent record high temperature. In February 2020, a research station on the Antarctic Peninsula recorded a high of 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest temperature the continent has ever seen.
