Dear Tom,
Where is the hottest place on Earth?
Matt Dagne, Wheaton
Dear Matt,
A temperature of 136 (degrees) at El Azizia, Libya, on Sept. 13,1922–though not without critics–has generally gained acceptance as the world’s highest recorded temperature. A 1958 study of the meteorological circumstances that produced it indicates the reading came after two days of blistering southerly winds and just before a cold frontal passage. Cold fronts have been known to induce compressional warming, a process which can boost temperatures. In addition, nearby mountain showers the day of the reading may have played a role, the study suggests, by imparting some latent heat to the atmosphere.
There have actually been reports of even hotter temperatures. A 140 (degrees) reading was reported in 1964 at Delta in Baja California and also at Riito in Sonora, Mexico. But, these readings were never validated nor were the thermometers or their exposures checked. Several scientific papers, one published in 1926 and another in 1963, propose all of these readings exceed a theoretical maximum surface temperature on earth which was calculated to be just over 131 (degrees).
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His weather forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN News at noon and 9 p.m.
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