Running Hot and Cold

When it comes to extreme temperatures, some places are unbearably hot while others live in a perpetual deep freeze. Here we look at some of the most extreme places on the planet:

Death Valley, United States

One of the most reliable hottest air temperature ever recorded occurred in Death Valley, California in 1913. It reached unbearable highs of 56.7 degrees Celsius. Needless to say, it’s the driest place on the continent and averages around 47 degrees C. One of the reasons for its incredible heat is that it sits 86m below sea level, trapping the heat in a bowl surrounded by mountains.

Dallol, Ethiopia

The hottest inhabited place on earth is Dallol in Ethiopia with the highest average temperature of 34.6 degrees Celsius. The reason for its intense heat is its location, sitting 116m below sea level and has the lowest volcano on the planet.

Vostok, Antarctica

Not far from the South Pole, 3,500m above sea level sits the Vostok Research Station owned by the Russians. The coldest temperature previously recorded was in 1983 when it plummeted to a chilling -89.2 degrees Celsius. It’s no surprise that it’s not a permanently inhabited region! This record was beaten in 2010 though, when a NASA satellite recorded -93.2 in the eastern region of Antarctica. Interestingly, the largest lake on earth is Lake Vostok, but it’s buried under 4km of thick glacial ice!

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Oymyakon, Russia

You would hope that the residents of this Russian village don’t need their boiler repairing in mid-winter! The village sits around 350km from the Arctic Circle and recorded a shivering temperature of -67.7 degrees Celsius back in 1933. The residents must have their water transported in by tanker as the village water will not thaw! Make sure you stay toasty this winter and have your boiler serviced by a professional. For Boiler Installation Gloucester, visit HPR Services Ltd

Verkhoyansk, Siberia

Hear the name Siberia and you instantly shiver and with good reason! This town lies about 500 miles from Oymyakon but is just as chilly. The lowest temperature recorded here was a mind-blowing -67 degrees Celsius. The nicest it’s ever been here was in 2016, when it peaked at 20 degrees Celsius. Still not quite sunbathing weather though!

Dasht-e-Lut, Iran

This is a place so hot that no living creature can survive – not even bacteria! The desert here has the highest recorded surface temperature of 70.7 degrees Celsius. Along with the Atacama Desert in Chile, Dasht-e-Lut is the driest place on earth. The area boasts huge, impressive sand dunes of up to 500 feet with much of the desert looking like a different planet.

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