List of weather records

The list of weather records includes the most extreme occurrences of weather phenomena for various categories. Many weather records are measured under specific conditions—such as surface temperature and wind speed—to keep consistency among measurements around the Earth. Each of these records is understood to be the record value officially observed, as these records may have been exceeded before modern weather instrumentation was invented, or in remote areas without an official weather station. This list does not include remotely sensed observations such as satellite measurements, since those values are not considered official records.
The standard measuring conditions for temperature are in the air, 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) to 2.00 metres (6.6 ft) above the ground, and shielded from direct sunlight intensity (hence the term x degrees "in the shade"). The following lists include all officially confirmed claims measured by those methods.
Temperatures measured directly on the ground may exceed air temperatures by 30 to 50 °C (54 to 90 °F). The highest natural ground surface temperature ever recorded may have been an alleged reading of 93.9 °C (201.0 °F) at Furnace Creek, California, United States, on 15 July 1972. In 2011, a ground temperature of 84 °C (183.2 °F) was recorded in Port Sudan, Sudan. The theoretical maximum possible ground surface temperature has been estimated to be between 90 and 100 °C (194 and 212 °F) for dry, darkish soils of low thermal conductivity.
Satellite measurements of ground temperature taken between 2003 and 2009, taken with the MODIS infrared spectroradiometer on the Aqua satellite, found a maximum temperature of 70.7 °C (159.3 °F), which was recorded in 2005 in the Lut Desert, Iran. The Lut Desert was also found to have the highest maximum temperature in five of the seven years measured (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009). These measurements reflect averages over a large region and so are lower than the maximum point surface temperature.
Satellite measurements of the surface temperature of Antarctica, taken between 1982 and 2013, found a coldest temperature of −93.2 °C (−135.8 °F) on 10 August 2010, at 81°48′S 59°18′E﻿ / ﻿81.8°S 59.3°E﻿ / -81.8; 59.3. Although this is not comparable to an air temperature, it is believed that the air temperature at this location would have been lower than the official record lowest air temperature of −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the highest temperature ever recorded was 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) on 10 July 1913 in Furnace Creek (Greenland Ranch), California, United States, but the validity of this record is challenged as possible problems with the reading have since been discovered. Christopher C. Burt, a weather historian writing for Weather Underground, believes that the 1913 Death Valley reading is "a myth", and is at least 2.2 or 2.8 °C (4 or 5 °F) too high. Burt proposes that the highest reliably recorded temperature on Earth could still be at Death Valley, but is instead 54.0 °C (129.2 °F) recorded on 30 June 2013. This is lower than a 1931 measurement of 55 °C (131 °F) recorded in Kebili, Tunisia, but the WMS rejects this measurement as due to an inexperienced operator misreading the instrument. Temperature of 54 °C (129 °F) is also matched by a 1942 record from Tirat Zvi, Israel. 2016 and 2017 readings in Kuwait and Iran have also matched the 2013 Death Valley record, while readings in 2020 and 2021 also at Furnace Creek went even higher, up to 54.4 °C (130 °F), however, they have not yet been validated by WMO. The WMO has stated they stand by the 1913 record pending any future investigations.
The former highest official temperature on Earth, 58.0 °C (136.4 °F), measured in ʽAziziya, Libya on 13 September 1922, was reassessed in July 2012 by the WMO which published a report that invalidated the record. There have been other unconfirmed reports of high temperatures, but these temperatures have never been officially validated by national weather services/WMO, and are currently considered to have been recorder's errors, thus not being recognised as world records.
The warmest day on record for the entire planet was 22 July 2024 when the highest global average temperature was recorded at 17.16 °C (62.89 °F). The previous record was 17.09 °C (62.76 °F) set the day before on 21 July 2024. The month of July 2023 was the hottest month on record globally. September 2023 was the most anomalously warm month, averaging 1.75 °C (3.15 °F) above the preindustrial average for September. The Copernicus Programme (begun 1940) had recorded 13 August 2016, as the hottest global temperature, but by July 2024, that date had been downgraded to the fourth hottest.
The lowest temperature recorded is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), in Vostok Station, Antarctica on 21 July 1983.