Highest Temperatures
Highest air temperature — WMO record
56.7°C
134.1°F
Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley
Recognised by the World Meteorological Organisation. The record has been subject to ongoing scholarly debate and some climatologists consider the 1913 instruments may have overstated the reading by 1-3°C.
Highest reliably measured temperature
54.0°C
129.2°F — modern instrument standard
Mitribah
Recorded simultaneously in Kuwait and Turbat, Pakistan. Many meteorologists consider this the highest temperature verifiable under modern WMO standards, given the reliability of 1913-era instruments.
Highest mean annual temperature
34.4°C
93.9°F annual average
Dallol
Dallol sits below sea level in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Daytime temperatures frequently exceed 45°C.
Highest ground surface temperature
80.8°C
177.4°F
Furnace Creek, Death Valley
Ground surface temperature, not air temperature. Measured by satellite and confirmed by NPS. Bare desert soil absorbs far more radiation than the air above it.
Lowest Temperatures
Lowest air temperature — weather station
-89.2°C
-128.6°F
Vostok Station
The WMO-recognised record for a surface weather station. Vostok sits at 3,488m elevation on the Antarctic plateau — elevation, latitude and extreme dryness combine to produce temperatures found nowhere else on Earth.
Lowest temperature outside Antarctica
-67.8°C
-90°F
Verkhoyansk / Oymyakon
Both Siberian towns claim this record. Verkhoyansk's 1892 reading predates modern instruments; Oymyakon's 1933 reading is more widely cited. These are the coldest inhabited places on Earth.
Lowest temperature (satellite observation)
-94.7°C
-138.5°F
East Antarctic Plateau
Detected by the Aqua and Terra satellites during clear-sky winter nights. Not a WMO surface station record as it was not measured by a conventional thermometer.
Lowest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere
-69.6°C
-93.3°F
Klinck Research Station, Greenland
The WMO-recognised Northern Hemisphere record, set at an automatic weather station on the Greenland ice sheet at approximately 3,105m elevation.
Precipitation Records
Highest 24-hour rainfall
1,825 mm
71.9 inches
Cilaos, Réunion Island
During a tropical cyclone. Réunion's mountainous topography forces moist oceanic air rapidly upward, producing some of the most intense rainfall rates on Earth.
Highest 72-hour rainfall
3,929 mm
154.7 inches over 3 days
Commerson Crater, Réunion Island
Réunion Island holds the world record for 12-hour, 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour rainfall totals — all set during different tropical cyclone events.
Highest annual average rainfall
11,873 mm
467 inches per year
Mawsynram
Located on the southern rim of the Khasi Hills, Mawsynram receives the full force of Bay of Bengal monsoon moisture forced up the steep hillside. Nearby Cherrapunji held the record for most of the 20th century.
Highest monthly rainfall
9,300 mm
366 inches in one month
Cherrapunji
The highest rainfall total ever recorded in a single calendar month. Cherrapunji also holds the record for the highest annual total in a single year: 26,461mm in 1860-61.
Highest 1-minute rainfall rate
38 mm
1.5 inches in 60 seconds
Barot
The most intense short-duration rainfall ever measured. Thunderstorm downbursts can briefly produce extraordinary localised rainfall rates far exceeding what any rain gauge can accurately capture.
Driest place on Earth
~0.8 mm
Less than 1mm annual average
Arica
Parts of the Atacama Desert go years or even decades without any measurable rainfall. Arica averages less than 1mm annually. The driest parts of the Antarctic dry valleys may receive even less.
Wind Records
Highest wind gust — WMO record
408 km/h
253 mph / 220 knots
Barrow Island
Recorded during Tropical Cyclone Olivia. The WMO verified and accepted this as the world record in 2010, replacing the 1934 Mount Washington reading. Barrow Island is a remote offshore island with no topographic barriers.
Highest non-tropical wind gust
372 km/h
231 mph / 201 knots
Mount Washington Observatory
Held the world record for 76 years. Mount Washington's unique position at the convergence of three major storm tracks makes it one of the windiest places on Earth. The observatory has been continually staffed since 1932.
Highest mean annual wind speed
~70 km/h
~44 mph annual average
Commonwealth Bay (Cape Denison)
Known as the windiest place on Earth at sea level. Katabatic winds flowing off the Antarctic plateau funnel through the bay's terrain and regularly exceed 200 km/h. Documented by Douglas Mawson's 1911-1914 expedition.
Highest tornado wind speed
484 km/h
301 mph — Doppler radar measurement
Bridge Creek / Moore, Oklahoma
Measured by a mobile Doppler radar at close range during the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado (F5). This is not a surface anemometer reading and is not directly comparable to WMO wind records.
Other Notable Records
Highest atmospheric pressure
1,083.8 hPa
32.0 inHg
Tosontsengel
The WMO-recognised record for highest sea-level pressure. The Siberian High pressure system, which dominates Central Asia in winter, can produce extraordinary surface pressures over cold continental interiors.
Lowest atmospheric pressure (non-tornado)
870 hPa
25.69 inHg
Typhoon Tip, Western Pacific
The most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded by central pressure. Typhoon Tip also holds the record for largest tropical cyclone by diameter, spanning approximately 2,220 km at its peak.
Largest hailstone
20.3 cm
8.0 inches diameter — about the size of a volleyball
Vivian, South Dakota
Weighed 0.88kg (1.94 lb). Hailstones form when updrafts in severe thunderstorms repeatedly loft ice pellets through supercooled water droplets. Updraft speeds exceeding 160 km/h are needed to suspend the largest stones.
Longest lightning bolt
768 km
477 miles — single flash
Southern United States
WMO-certified in 2022. The single flash extended from Texas across Mississippi. The same event also produced a record lightning flash duration of 17.1 seconds over Uruguay on 18 June 2020.
About these records
All records on this page are sourced from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes, or from peer-reviewed meteorological literature. Records are updated when the WMO ratifies new extremes through its formal evaluation process.
A distinction is made throughout between official WMO surface station records (measured by calibrated instruments at recognised weather stations) and satellite or radar observations, which use different measurement methods and are not directly comparable.
For yesterday's live extremes from 300+ stations worldwide, see the World Weather Extremes homepage.