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Scorching Temperatures in Death Valley May Be Third Hottest on Earth

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - The World Meteorological Organization says temperatures of
   54.4 degrees (Celsius) reported Sunday at Furnace Creek, Death Valley
   in the U.S. state of California, may be the third hottest on Earth.

   The U.N. weather agency is assembling an international team of
   atmospheric scientists to verify the temperatures reported in Death
   Valley are legitimate. The WMO says that is a very complicated
   procedure and is likely to take several months to complete.
   If validated, however, World Meteorological scientists say it would
   qualify as the third highest temperature ever recorded on the planet.
   The hottest temperature ever recorded was 56.7 degrees (Celsius) in
   Death Valley on July 10, 1913. The second hottest was set in July 1931
   in Kebili, Tunisia, at 55 degrees (Celsius).
   The scorching conditions come as sweltering heat grips the west coast
   of the United States, with temperatures reaching the high 30s and 40s.
   WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis says the U.S. National Weather Service
   expects the intense heat to continue for a while.

   "The National Weather Service in Las Vegas, which covers the Death
   Valley area, tweeted overnight, 'We are in the midst of a long-duration
   extreme heat event. Another run at 130 degrees Fahrenheit plus
   temperatures in Death Valley remains possible,'" ," said Nullis.

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