Dear Tom,
What is the highest temperature ever recorded in the world?
Jim Hartford, Chicago
Dear Jim,
Several factors–including a high sun angle, clear skies, a clean atmosphere, and sinking air–are needed to produce excessively hot temperatures. All of these factors came into play more than 80 years ago on Sept. 13, 1922, at El Azizia, Libya, where the world heat record of 136 (degrees) was set in the blistering hot Sahara Desert, about 30 miles south of the Mediterranean seacoast town of Tripoli. The world’s highest temperature was recorded after two intensely hot days, prior to the passage of a cold front that gave the mercury an added boost due to downslope warming ahead of the front. Another contributing factor may have been some showers occurring in mountains south of El Azizia that added latent heat to the atmosphere.
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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.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
