Where was the highest air temperature on Earth officially recorded?
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The answer is Death Valley, California.
On July 10, 1913, a thermometer at Furnace Creek in Death Valley recorded 134 degrees Fahrenheit, recognized by the World Meteorological Organization as the highest air temperature ever measured on Earth.
For decades, a 136-degree reading from El Azizia, Libya, in 1922 held the title. In 2012, after investigation, the WMO threw it out as a likely recording error, restoring Death Valley’s record.
Death Valley also contains Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. Despite the heat, it blooms with wildflowers after rare wet winters.
Facts to bring to dinner
134°F
The world-record temperature in Death Valley.
1913
The year the record was set.
2012
The Libyan record was thrown out.
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