The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 56.7°C (134°F) on July 10, 1913, in Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California. This temperature was recorded using a regulation Weather Bureau thermometer shelter using maximum and minimum thermometers. However, the validity of this record has been questioned, and it was decertified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 2013. If the 1913 record were to be decertified, the highest established recorded air temperature on Earth would be 54.0°C (129.2°F), also recorded in Death Valley on June 20, 2013, and in Mitribah, Kuwait, on July 21, 2016.

There have been higher readings of 54.4°C (129.9°F) in August 2020 and July 2021, both at Furnace Creek, that are pending validation. Temperatures at or above 130°F (54.4°C) have only been recorded on Earth a handful of times, mostly in Death Valley. In July 2021, Death Valley hit 130°F, which is the hottest recorded temperature on Earth since 1931.

In summary, the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 56.7°C (134°F) on July 10, 1913, in Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California. However, the validity of this record has been questioned, and if it were to be decertified, the highest established recorded air temperature on Earth would be 54.0°C (129.2°F). There have been higher readings of 54.4°C (129.9°F) in August 2020 and July 2021, both at Furnace Creek, that are pending validation.