So far, 2020 has been a year like no other. From Covid-19 pandemic and floods, to explosion and economic slowdown, it has been the most forgettable one. It has added another one to the list by recording the highest ever temperature on the earth. Furnace Creek in the Death Valley Desert in California, US, has touched 54.4C temperature on August 17. However, the world is still waiting for an official confirmation on the figure.

If confirmed, it would break the record of 54C also recorded in the same place in 2013. However, there are occasions the temperature soared to 56.7C in 1913 in Death Valley and 55C in Kebili in Tunisia in 1931 which modern weather experts consider as erroneous. So, 54.4C recorded in this month would be recognised as the highest ever temperature reliably recorded.

Furnace Creek is located around 288 feet below the sea level. The area has walled by high and steep mountain ranges which constrain the free airflow. The direct sunlight heats the rocks and soil, and it results in the hot air. High mountains covering the area generate a sink down effect on the rising heat air and forces the air to move back to the valley. This recirculation of hot air leads to a high temperature in the valley.

The world has witnessed breaking many records of high temperature in different continents in the second decade of the 21st Century. India has registered a soaring heat of 51C in Phalodi, Rajasthan on May 19 2016. In the Asia Continent, the highest ever recorded temperature registered in two different countries in different years. The temperature in Ahwaz Airport in Iran touched 54C on June 29, 2017. Israel city Tirat Zvi has also recorded the same temperature in 1942. However, few weather historians argue about its technical perfection. Countries like China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Cambodia, Macau, Pakistan, etc have also recorded the highest temperature in the second decade of the 21st Century.

Many countries in other continents have also witnessed a soaring rise in temperature in the current decade.