The Hottest Air Temperature Ever Recorded Was in Death Valley

Death Valley has a reputation, and the record books back it up. The US National Park Service states that the world record highest air temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, or 57 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913. The park service describes Death Valley as famous for being the hottest place on earth and the driest place in North America. The record is extreme, but ordinary summers there are severe too. Summer temperatures often top 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or 49 degrees Celsius, in the shade, with overnight lows dipping only into the 90s. Rain is scarce. According to the park service, average rainfall in Death Valley is less than 2 inches, or 5 centimeters, a year.