- Quién
- 20 August 1992
- Qué
- 139 degree(s) Celsius
- Dónde
- No Aplicable ()
- Cuándo
On 20 August 1992, a global maximum temperature of 51.1°C (124°F) was recorded at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, USA, while a global minimum temperature of -87.9°C (-126.2°F) was recorded at Vostok research station in Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica. The differential (aka thermal excursion or thermal amplitude) between the two extremes of 139°C (250.2°F) represents the greatest range in temperature ever recorded on Earth within a 24-hour period.
Death Valley and Vostok lay claim to the highest and lowest temperatures, respectively, ever recorded on Earth. During the southern hemisphere winter on 21 July 1983, temperatures at Vostok plunged to -89.2°C (-128.6°F), while the currently recognized highest temperature is 56.7°C (134°F), recorded at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley on 10 July 1913. Some doubts have been cast around the veracity of the latter, however; at 3:41 p.m. PDT on 16 August 2020, a peak of 129.9°F (54.4°C) was registered at Furnace Creek Visitor Centre in Death Valley, the data of which is currently being scrutinized by the World Meteorological Organization for ratification. If confirmed to be correct, this will likely be recognized as the highest reliably measured temperature on record.
