GEOGRAPHY

Physical - Topography

Hottest Deserts

This list features the hottest deserts on Planet Earth base don highest recorded temperature.

RANK	DESERT	REGION	HIGHEST TEMPERATURE	DESCRIPTION
1	Mojave	United States	56.7 °C (134.1 °F)	Recorded at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913. The hottest air temperature ever measured on Earth.
2	Sahara	North Africa (Tunisia)	55.0 °C (131.0 °F)	Recorded in Kebili, Tunisia, on July 7, 1931.
3	Lut (Dasht-e Lut)	Iran	54.0 °C (129.2 °F)	Known for the hottest ground temperatures, but air temperatures are estimated to reach around 54°C.
4	Arabian Desert	Saudi Arabia	54.0 °C (129.2 °F)	Recorded in Mitribah, Kuwait, on July 21, 2016, one of the highest modern-day temperatures.
5	Sonoran Desert	United States/Mexico	52.0 °C (125.6 °F)	Recorded in San Luis Río Colorado and in parts of Arizona.
6	Gobi Desert	China and Mongolia	52.0 °C (125.6 °F)	Known for extreme temperature fluctuations.
7	Kyzylkum Desert	Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan	52.0 °C (125.6 °F)	Recorded during an extreme heatwave.
8	Thar	India/Pakistan (Jacobabad)	50.6 °C (123.1 °F)	Recorded in Jacobabad, Pakistan, in May 2021 during an intense heatwave.
9	Taklamakan Desert	China	50.2 °C (122.4 °F)	Recorded in the Turpan Depression, part of the Taklamakan Desert.
10	Chihuahuan Desert	Mexico/United States	50.2 °C (122.4 °F)	Recorded in Ojinaga, Mexico.
11	Kalahari	Southern Africa	50.0 °C (122.0 °F)	Recorded in Namibia during a summer heatwave.
12	Karakum Desert	Turkmenistan	50.0 °C (122.0 °F)	Regularly reaches 50°C during summer.
13	Syrian Desert	Syria/Iraq/Jordan	50.0 °C (122.0 °F)	Recorded near the Iraq-Syria border during extreme heat.
14	Great Australian Desert	Australia	48.5 °C (119.3 °F)	Recorded in the Simpson Desert.
15	Namib Desert	Namibia	48.0 °C (118.4 °F)	Recorded in the northern Namib Desert.

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References

Albuquerque, L. & Satterthwaite, C. (2018). The Climate of the Earth: A Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press, pp. 150–155. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. (2020). Simpson Desert Weather Records. Available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/(Accessed: 6 July 2025). Bagnold, R. A. (1941). The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes. London: Chapman & Hall, pp. 122–125. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). China Meteorological Administration. (2017). Climate Extremes in the Gobi. Available at: http://www.cma.gov.cn/en(Accessed: 6 July 2025). China Meteorological Administration. (2017). Temperature Extremes in Taklamakan. Available at: http://www.cma.gov.cn/en (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Giambelluca, T. W., et al. (2014). The Climate of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, pp. 90–95. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Hastenrath, S. & Greischar, L. (1991). Glaciers, Climate, and Society: A Global Perspective. Springer, pp. 80–85. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Iraq Meteorological Organization. (2020). Heat Records in the Syrian Desert. Available at: http://www.imo.gov.iq/(Accessed: 6 July 2025). Lutgens, F. K. & Tarbuck, E. J. (2017). The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology. Pearson, pp. 430–435. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Mexican Meteorological Service. (2021). Extreme Heat in the Chihuahuan Desert. Available at: https://smn.conagua.gob.mx/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Namibian Weather Service. (2019). Temperature Records in the Kalahari Desert. Available at: https://www.mete.gov.na/(Accessed: 6 July 2025). Namibian Weather Service. (2019). Temperature Records in the Namib Desert. Available at: https://www.mete.gov.na/(Accessed: 6 July 2025). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2021). Extreme Heat in the Sonoran Desert. Available at: https://www.weather.gov/epz/wxextremes (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Nicholson, S. E. (2013). Climate and Climatic Variability of the African Rainforest. Cambridge University Press, pp. 230–235. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). NASA Earth Observatory. (2011). World’s Hottest Surface Temperature. Available at: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/51103/worlds-hottest-surface-temperature (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Pakistan Meteorological Department. (2021). Jacobabad Heatwave. Available at: http://www.pmd.gov.pk/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Sullivan, R. G. (2010). Desert Climate and Weather. University of Arizona Press, pp. 145–150. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Turkmenistan Meteorological Institute. (2018). Karakum Desert Weather Records. Available at: http://www.meteo.gov.tm/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025). Uzbekistan Meteorological Agency. (2021). Kyzylkum Desert Weather Extremes. Available at: http://uzmet.gov.uz/en(Accessed: 6 July 2025). WMO (World Meteorological Organization). (2019). The World Meteorological Organization’s Statement on the State of the Global Climate. Available at: https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/library/wmo-statement-state-global-climate, pp. 10–12. (Accessed: 6 July 2025). World Meteorological Organization. (2012). Weather and Climate Extremes. Available at: https://wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/wcasp/ClimateExtremes.html (Accessed: 6 July 2025). World Meteorological Organization. (2012). World Weather & Climate Extremes Archive. Available at: https://wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/wcasp/ClimateExtremes.html (Accessed: 6 July 2025). World Meteorological Organization. (2016). Mitribah Heat Record. Available at: https://wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/wcasp/ClimateExtremes.html (Accessed: 6 July 2025). The Travel. (n.d.). What Are the Hottest Deserts on Earth? Available at: https://www.thetravel.com/what-are-the-hottest-deserts-on-earth/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

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Hottest Deserts

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