In addition to the cold climates experienced on Mount Washington, the highest peak in New England, and the icy continent of Antarctica, there are also extremely hot locations on this little blue dot we call Earth.
I don’t think Robert Palmer intended for any of us to endure extraordinary temperature extremes such as those that are described below when he sang “Some Like It Hot”.
Death Valley in California was long considered to be the hottest place on earth. In July of 1913, a record high temperature of 134°F was recorded at Furnace Creek. However, in a study from 2003 to 2009 using satellite imagery, scientists observed even hotter temperatures. The Death Valley record had lived on for years until a team of scientists from the University of Montana recorded even hotter temperatures in Lut Desert in Iran.
In 2005 a high temperature of 159.3°F was recorded in the desert. During five of the seven years in the study, Lut Desert recorded the hottest temperatures on earth. But there were also other locations that gained recognition as “hot spots”. In 2003 the temp reached 156.7°F in Queensland, Australia and in 2008, Flaming Mountain in China reached a maximum temperature of 152.2°F.
So, I guess it’s clear that Glenn Frey was right when he said “The Heat is On”.
You can read more in depth information on this record-breaking study at NASA, Earth Observatory.
