Story highlights
- Scorching temperatures in the U.S. are common for many other countries
- The world's highest air temperature was recorded in El Azizia, Libya, in 1922
- But weather stations aren't in some of the world's hottest spots, scientists say
For many Americans, this summer has been miserably hot.
Heat advisories and warnings have been issued from coast to coast, with high temperatures often reaching into the triple digits, and July went into the record books as the hottest month ever for the continental United States.
But in certain parts of the world, this is the norm -- or maybe even on the cool side.
Try Kuwait City, for instance. In July, its average high temperature is 116 degrees Fahrenheit.
Or Timbuktu in Mali, where the highs average 108 in May and was once recorded at 130. 130! That ranks fifth on the all-time list.
The highest temperature ever recorded on the planet was in 1922, when a thermometer in El Azizia, Libya, hit 136. Some dispute that mark, saying it was improperly measured. If that's true, the record would be the 134, reached nine years earlier in Death Valley, California.
But the world's hottest place might not be any of these, according to a team of scientists from the University of Montana. It says the highest temperatures on Earth are found in areas that don't even have weather stations.
"The Earth's hot deserts -- such as the Sahara, the Gobi, the Sonoran and the Lut -- are climatically harsh and so remote that access for routine measurements and maintenance of a weather station is impractical," said David Mildrexler, lead author of a recent study that used NASA satellites to detect the Earth's hottest surface temperatures.
Photos: Photos: Extreme heat strikes U.S.
Photos: Photos: Extreme heat strikes U.S.
Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Fatima Domingpe applies sunscreen to her face near the Mosaic Fountain in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, on Saturday, July 7. A record heat wave has been in the area for more than a week.
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Photos: Photos: Extreme heat strikes U.S.
Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Ten-year-old Lilly Hwang-Geddes, left, of Ithaca, New York, plays in a fountain at the Yards Park on Thursday, July 5, in Washington.
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Photos: Photos: Extreme heat strikes U.S.
Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Six-year-old Spencer Hwang-Geddes of Ithaca, New York, cools off at the Yards Park on Thursday. Weather forecast predicted the hot weather will last through Sunday with possible daily triple-digit temperatures.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – A boy enjoys the waterfall in the Yards Park fountain on Thursday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Chilren play in the fountain away form Thursday's scorching temperatires at the Yards Park.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Shannon Mack and Bobby Rush keep cool with their dog, Bubba, in a pool at their apartment in Chicago on Wednesday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Keshyra Pitts, 7, plays in the spray of a hydrant in Chicago on Wednesday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Lori Bryant holds her 7-month-old nephew Justin Tackett as Marianne Oliver cools him down during the Fourth of July parade in Downers Grove, Illinois.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Residents find relief from the heat at the McCarren Park pool in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday, July 3.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Abbi Buck, of Cookeville, Tennessee, gulps a bottle of water as sweat drips down her face as she visits the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Tuesday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Katie Kiang finds shelter from the heat to study for the Graduate Record Examinations inside an air-conditioned mall in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Monday. Kiang's home is one of the thousands without electricity after storms hit hard.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Gene Holmes splashes into a quarry lake after jumping from a rope swing on Monday, July 2, at the Beaver Dam Swimming Club in Cockeysville, Maryland.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Without electricity to operate the pumps at his gas station in Silver Spring, Maryland, Ken Duckson fills a cooler with ice he cannot sell because his cash registers will not work.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Aziz Taylor, 11, plays in a water fountain Monday in the Capitol Heights neighborhood of Washington.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Lifeguard Niko Garcia jumps into a pool in Washington on Monday to try and beat the heat wave gripping the nation.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – A boy plays in a water fountain in Washington on Sunday, July 1, amid a record-setting heatwave in the eastern United States.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Bryan Moran sprays his dog, Rocky, with water in Washington's Columbia Heights on Sunday. Eastern cities were forecast to approach or break record-high temperatures.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Linda Gordon, right, finds relief from the extreme heat with an ice pack in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, June 30.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Residents crowd onto the beach at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, in the powerful heat on Saturday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Beachgoers lie in the sun at Coney Island on Saturday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – A boy plays in the ocean at Coney Island on Saturday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Workers brave the high heat to repair a storm-damaged roof at the Park Tanglewood apartments in Riverdale, Maryland, on Saturday.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Beads of sweat roll down Francisco Hernandez's face as he works to repave Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, June 29.
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Extreme heat strikes U.S. – Children play in the water at Six Flags Over Georgia in Atlanta, where temperatures topped 100 degrees on Friday.
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The satellites detect the infrared energy emitted by land. And over a seven-year period, from 2003 to 2009, they found Iran's Lut Desert to be the hottest place on Earth.
The Lut Desert had the highest recorded surface temperature in five of the seven years, topping out at 159 degrees in 2005. Other notable annual highs came from Queensland, Australia (156 degrees in 2003) and China's Turpan Basin (152 degrees in 2008).
It's important to stress that surface temperatures are naturally higher than the air temperatures measured by weather stations. Air temperatures have to be measured by thermometers placed off the ground and shielded from sunlight, according to global meteorological standards.
But the study shows that today's modern records might not necessarily be the most accurate.
"Most of the places that call themselves the hottest on Earth are not even serious contenders," co-author Steve Running said.
The world's highest recorded air temperatures
1. El Azizia, Libya (136 degrees Fahrenheit)
2. Death Valley, California (134)
3. Ghadames, Libya (131)
3. Kebili, Tunisia (131)
5. Timbuktu, Mali (130)
5. Araouane, Mali (130)
7. Tirat Tsvi, Israel (129)
8. Ahwaz, Iran (128)
8. Agha Jari, Iran (128)
10. Wadi Halfa, Sudan (127)
1. El Azizia, Libya (136 degrees Fahrenheit)
2. Death Valley, California (134)
3. Ghadames, Libya (131)
3. Kebili, Tunisia (131)
5. Timbuktu, Mali (130)
5. Araouane, Mali (130)
7. Tirat Tsvi, Israel (129)
8. Ahwaz, Iran (128)
8. Agha Jari, Iran (128)
10. Wadi Halfa, Sudan (127)
Highest recorded air temperature (by continent)
Africa: El Azizia, Libya (136)
North America: Death Valley, California (134)
Asia: Tirat Tsvi, Israel (129)
Australia: Cloncurry, Queensland (128*)
Europe: Seville, Spain (122)
South America: Rivadavia, Argentina (120)
Antarctica: Vanda Station, Scott Coast (59)
Africa: El Azizia, Libya (136)
North America: Death Valley, California (134)
Asia: Tirat Tsvi, Israel (129)
Australia: Cloncurry, Queensland (128*)
Europe: Seville, Spain (122)
South America: Rivadavia, Argentina (120)
Antarctica: Vanda Station, Scott Coast (59)
Sources: NOAA, World Meteorological Organization
* This temperature was measured using the techniques available at the time of recording, which are different to the standard techniques currently used in Australia. The most likely Australian record using standard equipment is an observation of 123 degrees, recorded at Oodnadatta, South Australia.
