WMO Takes World Record Away From Libya

By , Meteorologist
September 16, 2012; 4:22 AM
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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has disclaimed the world record high temperature in Libya.

El Azizia, Libya, supposedly recorded a high temperature of 136.4 degrees F (58 degrees C) on Sept. 13, 1922, and this temperature has often been cited as the highest temperature ever recorded in the world.

Photo of Akakous, Libya, dunes from Flickr user Bousure.

An investigation completed by the WMO Commission of Climatology (CCI) from 2010-2011 uncovered five big concerns with the temperature record. The problems with the temperature included "potentially problematic instrumentation, a probable new and inexperienced observer at time of observation, an unrepresentative microclimate of the observation site."

It is now believed that the July 10, 1913, high temperature of 134 degrees F (56.7 degrees C) observed at Greenland Ranch, Death Valley, Calif., is the world record high temperature.

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