Death Valley named hottest spot on planet

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK (KABC) -- Death Valley has been officially recognized as the hottest spot on the planet by the World Meteorological Organization, nearly 100 years after the record temperature was posted.

The WMO said the surface temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, which was measured on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, is the highest recorded surface temperature on Earth.

The long-held world record was 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which was clocked on Sept. 13, 1922 in modern-day Libya. However, the WMO Commission of Climatology's special international panel conducted an in-depth investigation and identified major concerns with the posting.

The investigating committee concluded that the temperature was obtained by an inexperienced observer who improperly recorded the temperature and missed the mark by about 7 degrees Celsius.

The Death Valley record was obtained during a particularly hot stretch during July 8-14, 1913. During this time, the maximum temperature reached at least 127 degrees Fahrenheit each day, with three days of 130 degrees Fahrenheit and above. It never fell below 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Death Valley National Park was established on Oct. 31, 1994 and is the largest national park in the continental United States.

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