On July 10, 1913, the temperature in Death Valley reached 136 degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn’t until this week, however, that that California desert was named the hottest place in the world.

According to the Associated Press, El Azizia, Libya, has been the record holder since September 13th, 1922, when temperature rose to 136.4 degrees. But the World Meteorological Organization ruled this week that the record was invalid. The WMO said that the temperature was taken by an inexperienced weather observer with a unreliable tool. Researchers believes that the temperature was probably 5 degrees cooler on that record setting day.

The WMO then bestowed the Hottest Place on Earth title to Death Valley.

Randy Cerveny, WMO’s Rapporteur of Climate and Weather Extremes, said:

“That record was investigated pretty thoroughly by Dr. Arnold Court, a meteorology professor from California, back in the 1940s and determined to be valid.”

Death Valley has long been known as the hottest and driest place in the United States and now it will be known as the hottest place on earth. According to the AP, the hottest temperature recorded this year in Death Valley was 128 degrees.

Have you ever been to Death Valley?

Death Valley Sets Heat Record 99 Years Later is a post from: The Inquisitr