Temperature records used by meteorologists and reported in weather broadcasts refer to air temperature. The surface of the Earth, however, can get much hotter than the record 120s and 130s°F (high 40s to high 50s°C) that are usually considered the extreme. Soil temperatures can actually rise about 180°F (82°C), and the surface temperature in Death Valley has been measured at a hellish 200°F (93°C)