Three UAH climate scientists reexamined archival records and conclude the famous 134°F Death Valley reading is likely invalid because it was recorded with nonstandard instruments. Their study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, documents multiple suspicious high readings from the early 1910s and points to inconsistent thermometer use during one foreman's tenure. The authors recommend rescinding the century-old world record; a World Meteorological Organization committee will make the final determination.
UAH Researchers Challenge 112-Year-Old 134°F Death Valley Record — Archival Evidence Points to Faulty Measurements
Three UAH climate scientists reexamined archival records and conclude the famous 134°F Death Valley reading is likely invalid because it was recorded with nonstandard instruments. Their study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, documents multiple suspicious high readings from the early 1910s and points to inconsistent thermometer use during one foreman's tenure. The authors recommend rescinding the century-old world record; a World Meteorological Organization committee will make the final determination.
21:23, 07.11.2025Science
UAH team reexamines century-old Death Valley temperature record
Most references to the highest recorded temperature on Earth point to Death Valley in July 1914, when the National Park Service lists a 134°F reading. A team of climate scientists at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) now says new archival research undermines that long-standing claim.
Dr. Roy Spencer and Dr. John R. Christy, together with colleague Dr. William T. Reid, reviewed historical station logs, correspondence and instrument records. Reid had previously suspected the 134°F value was flawed, and Spencer's deeper archival review led the group to the same conclusion: the extreme reading likely originated from nonstandard thermometer practice rather than from Weather Bureau-approved instruments housed in an instrument shelter.
"Long before official instrumentation arrived at the ranch in 1911, the world already knew of claims that ranch thermometers had measured temperatures of 135°F or higher," Spencer said. He added that correspondence from the era suggested disappointment when official shelter readings did not match earlier, higher claims.
The researchers published their findings in the September edition of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Their paper documents several suspect high readings from the early 1910s — many clustered during the tenure of a single ranch foreman — and argues that inconsistent thermometer placement and nonstandard instruments likely inflated reported temperatures.
Why this matters
Accurate historical records are essential to climate science. The authors note that, in over a century of instrumented records and a warming climate, an instrument-shelter temperature of 130°F did not reappear until 2020 and 2021. In July 2021, Yale Climate Connections reported Death Valley reached 130.0°F, surpassing the previously verified 129.9°F recorded on Aug. 16, 2020.
If the century-old 134°F entry is indeed invalid, it would change the long-term context for recent extreme heat events and help ensure that record comparisons are based only on properly documented observations.
Next steps
The UAH authors recommended that the world-record status of the 134°F observation be rescinded. Any formal change would be decided by a special committee of the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, which reviews and verifies extreme weather records.
Whether or not the 1914 entry is officially removed, the UAH study highlights the importance of provenance, standardized instruments and careful archival review when interpreting historical climate records.