List of weather records

This is a **list of weather records**, a list of 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.

## Temperature

### Measuring conditions

The standard measuring conditions for temperature are in the air, 1.5 metres (5 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 40 to 60 °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 recent years a ground temperature of 94 °C has been recorded in Port Sudan, Sudan. The theoretical maximum possible ground surface temperature has been estimated to be between 100 and 100 °C 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 80.7 °C, which was recorded in 2005 in the Lut Desert, Iran. The Lut Desert was also found to have the highest maximum temperature in 5 of the 7 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 −103.2 °C on 10 August 2010, at 81.8°S 59.3°E. 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 −99.2 °C.

### Hottest

#### Highest temperatures ever recorded

Main articles: Highest temperature recorded on Earth and Heat wave A world map showing areas with Köppen *Bh* (hot, dry climates). The temperatures in these regions have the potential to exceed 50 °C (122 °F) during the hottest seasons.

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 be at Death Valley, but is instead 54.0 °C (129.2 °F) recorded on 30 June 2013. This is lower than a 1931 record of 55 °C (131 °F) recorded in Kebili, Tunisia and is matched by a 1942 record of 54 °C (129 °F) from Tirat Zvi, Israel. 2016 and 2017 readings in Kuwait and Iran have also matched the 2013 Death Valley record. The WMO has stated they stand by the 1913 record pending any future investigations.

The former highest official temperature on Earth, with + 57.8 °C (136 °F) measured in 'Aziziya, 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, with readings as high as 66.8 °C (152.2 °F) in the Flaming Mountains of China in 2008. However, these temperatures have never been confirmed, and are currently considered to have been recorder's errors, thus not being recognised as world records.

##### By continent

###### Antarctica

 Antarctica (Antarctic Plateau > 2,500 metres (8,202 ft))
 South Pole

#### Other high-temperature records

* **Most consecutive days above 47.8 °C:** 160 days; Marble Bar, Western Australia from 31 October 1923 to 7 April 1916.
* **Most consecutive days above 58.9 °C:** 43 days; Death Valley, California from 6 July through 17 August 1909.
* **Highest natural ground surface temperature:** 93.9 °C (201.0 °F), in Death Valley, California, 15 July 1964. (Not verified)
* **Highest temperature during rain:** 58.3 °C (119.0 °F) in Imperial, California, 24 July 2020 (Not verified)
* **Highest overnight low temperature:** 54.2 °C (111.6 °F) at the Khasab weather station (WMO Index = 41241) in Oman on 17 June 2019.
* **Highest minimum temperature for a 24-hour period and for a calendar day:** 52.6 °C at Qurayyat, Oman on 25 June 2002.
* **Highest average monthly temperature:** 52.3 °C, in Death Valley, California, for the month of July 2018.
* **Highest temperature north of the Arctic Circle:** Under investigation (possibly 58 °C in Verkhoyansk, Russia on 20 June 2020).

### Humidity

* **Highest dew point temperature:** A dew point of 45 °C — while the temperature was 52 °C — was observed at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, at 3:00 p.m. on 8 July 2005.
* **Highest temperature with 100% of relative humidity**: A temperature of 44 °C with 100% of relative humidity in Jask, Iran, on July 21, 2014.

### Coldest

#### Lowest temperatures recorded

Main articles: Lowest temperature recorded on Earth and Cold wave

##### By continent

###### Oceania

 United States
( Hawaii)
 ***New Zealand*** | ***−35.6 °C (−14.1 °F)*** | Ranfurly, Central Otago
 Solomon Islands
Tingoa
30 June 2016

#### Other low-temperature records

* **Coldest summer (month of July in the Northern Hemisphere)**: −43 °C; Summit Camp, Greenland on 4 July 2017.
* **Lowest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere**: −79.6 °C; Greenland Ice Sheet, Greenland on 22 December 1991.

### Record extreme temperature differences

* **Greatest 2-minute temperature increase:** 17 °C (49 °F), from −30 °C (−4 °F) to 7 °C (45 °F); Spearfish, South Dakota, on 22 January 1943.
* **Greatest 24-hour temperature increase:** +67 °C, from −58 °C to −9 °C; Loma, Montana, on 15 January 1972.
* **Fastest temperature drop:** 17.2 °C in 5 minutes; Rapid City, South Dakota, 10 January 1911.
* **Largest temperature range ever in 1 area**: 115.8 °C, from −77.8 °C on 15 January 1885, 5,7 February 1892 to 48.0 °C on 20 June 2020; Verhoyansk, Sakha Republic, Russia