Climate and Weather

Temperature

What are the highest and lowest recorded temperatures on Earth?

The highest temperature in the world was recorded as 136°F (58°C) at Al Aziziyah (el-Aziia), Libya, on September 13, 1922; the highest temperature recorded in the United States was 134°F (56.7°C) in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913. The temperatures of 140°F (60°C) at Delta, Mexico, in August 1953 and 136.4°F (58°C) at San Luis, Mexico, on August 11, 1933, are not internationally accepted. The lowest temperature was –128.6°F (–89.6°C) at Vostok Station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. The record cold temperature for an inhabited area was –90.4°F (–68°C) at Oymyakon, Siberia (population 4,000), on February 6, 1933. This temperature tied with the readings at Verkhoyansk, Siberia, on January 3, 1885, and February 5 and 7, 1892. The lowest temperature reading in the United States was –79.8°F (–62.1°C) on January 23, 1971, in Prospect Creek, Alaska; for the contiguous 48 states, the coldest temperature was –69.7°F (–56.5°C) at Rogers Pass, Montana, on January 20, 1954.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Science Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App