The hottest air temperature recorded anywhere on the planet in at least a century, and possibly ever, was reached in Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert on Sunday afternoon where it soared to 54.4 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit).
An automated observation system run by the US National Weather Service at Furnace Creek reported the record at 3.41pm local time.
It was a dry heat: humidity fell to 7 per cent. But it felt “insanely hot” all the same, according to meteorologist Daniel Berc, who is based in the NWS Las Vegas bureau and forecast that the heatwave would continue all week.
“It’s literally like being in an oven,” he said in a telephone interview. “Today is another day we could take another run at 130 Fahrenheit.” (South China Morning Sport)