Dear Tom,
What is the highest temperature ever recorded anywhere in the world?
Anne Golembeski, Wilmette
Dear Anne,
The world’s highest temperature, recorded nearly 80 years ago, was a scorching 136(degrees) at El Azizia, Libya, on Sept. 13, 1922. El Azizia is located in northern Libya, about 30 miles south of the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Tripoli.
A 1958 meteorological study of this event indicates that this extraordinary high temperature occurred after two days of blistering south winds, just prior to the passage of a cold front that gave the temperature an added boost due to compressional warming of the air.
The 134(degrees) reading at Death Valley, Calif., on July 10, 1913, stands as the second-hottest temperature in the world and the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States.
———-
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.
Send your questions to:
ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60618
e-mail: asktomwhy@tribune.com
