‘Death Valley Days’ May Be Over for Global Temperature Record
3 hours ago Anthony Watts
World-record hot temperature may have been incorrectly measured.
In 1913, a temperature of 134°F (56.7°C) was reported at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California — still listed as the hottest air temperature ever recorded on Earth. But this new study by our friends Dr. John Christy and Dr. Roy Spencer argues that the famous record is wrong, and not just by a little. Using more than a century of weather data and historical records, the authors conclude that the 1913 reading was around 14°F too high and should never have been recognized as a world record.
Why the Record Is in Question
Death Valley is certainly one of the hottest places on Earth, but even in today’s warmer climate, it has never again reached 134°F. The highest recent temperatures there — in 2020 and 2021 — peaked at 130°F. This alone raises doubts: if the world has warmed since 1913, why hasn’t the record been broken?
Earlier researchers had also questioned the 134°F value. Meteorologist George Willson noted in 1915 that nothing unusual in the regional weather could explain such extreme heat. Later studies in the 1940s and 1950s found that a temperature that high should occur only once every several centuries, if at all.
To evaluate whether the 1913 reading made sense, the researchers used data from nearby weather stations outside Death Valley that have continuous records from 1923 to 2024. These stations are at higher elevations — typically 3,000 to 3,700 feet above sea level — while Greenland Ranch lies 178 feet below sea level.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/10/14/death-valley-days-may-be-over-for-global-temperature-record/
