What and where is the highest temperature you have experienced in your lifetime?

[Metwatch]

Thinking about this, and 100% it would be the 39C here at home during July 2022. That is the hottest temperature i've experienced as of today.

Considering i've been on road trips through Spain in the summers of 2015 and 2017 (staying near Alicante in the scorching summer of 2017 they had), and in south west France during August 2018, plus several summer stays in Fuerteventura, that's quite an achievement for central England.

Been to the silver coast of Portugal most summers between 2010 and 2015 (about an hour north of Lisbon), and it usually wasn't overly hot that often, but the highest temperature it would have gotten to throughout those summers would be around the mid 30s. However most of the time, any heatwaves would be moderated by sea fog due to the proxmity of the cooler Atlantic.

Some other hottest temperatures from 2015:

In 2015 mid July it was probably around 34-35C, the warmest I remember when en route to Portugal through northern Spain. That was the first road trip i've been on through western Europe.

17th April 2017 Fuerteventura, it reached about 34C, which was quite hard to adjust to considering it was over 25C cooler a few hours prior back home.

Summer 2017 staying an hour south of Alicante, Costa Blanca region late July to early August, the hottest again was somewhere in the mid 30s area, but probably the most humid conditions i've experienced due to the close proxmity of the "hot" Mediterranean sea.

2018 it would be south west France late August, it reached 35-36C looking on Meteociel before a superb thunderstorm rolled in by sunset.

2019, that was during the July 2019 heatwave back home, 35C. Missed the 2020 and 2022 August heatwavesback home and wasn't as hot abroad, but was at home for the 39C during July 2022.

Interesting to hear everyone else's maxes!

Edited February 22, 2024 by Metwatch

[Freeze]

Mine is 45c in sharm el sheikh, Egypt, in july 2012. An extremely dry heat with humidity under 10% but still scorching!

[Scuba steve]

53 c in Death valley in an exposed to sun slot canyon at 1 pm and 50c in both North Africa and Joshua tree NP

[Dark Horse]

42c in Sacramento California. Autumn couldn't arrive soon enough after experiencing a Summer inland Mediterranean climate on a par with Andalusia. Had no rain though until the start of November. And wow did it rain on that day, like what we get here, wind with it, lights flickering. I remember looking the weather channel and seeing radar with the wall of rain coming in from the Pacific.

Their record high in Sacramento is 46c in September 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rufus Butterfield]

40c in Doncaster during July 2022. I’ve experienced mid 30s in Croatia and France before, but it felt so bizarre being that hot in Yorkshire.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

July 17th to 19th '22

[raz.org.rain]

Probably that July 2022 heat spike here. I've travelled to a few places - Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Florida... but that spell of heat was something very different. If I recall correctly, Western Europe was among the hottest regions on earth that week, so it makes sense.

[WYorksWeather]

I was in Leeds city centre on 19th July 2022. Official readings were around 39C but given the urban heat island it might well have been 40C-41C in the centre when I was on my lunch break from work.

Edited February 22, 2024 by WYorksWeather

[Brad in Kent]

Evening all,

Yes the July 2022 UK heatwave was exceptional. It was only topped for me by Cordoba (1hr north of Seville) in July 2017 at 48c. Granted I've no idea on the officiality of the reading where the airport had an official 45c which is still very hot! 

I'd actually say compared to July 2022 both felt the same, given the dewpoint was higher in the UK. As we know humidity and exertion play a huge role in how hot we feel. 

Due to hot places like Arabia and SW USA being evening/morning, winter in the Southern Hemisphere and cooler air replacing convected airmass in France, the UK was for about an hour the hottest place on the planet!

It's no surprise that it'll be either everyone's top spot or podium position. Just imagine though, in Dubai they can get 50c with 30c dew points, I'd start to cook alive I think...

[Badders]

46° Bahrain summer 1995. Too hot to go outside.

 It topped 50+ some summers. But we always flew home to avoid the heat

Edited February 22, 2024 by Badders

[TwisterGirl81]

I think 45c in Las Vegas 

[Metwatch]

38 minutes ago, WYorksWeather said:

19th July 2019.

I guess you mean 2022 there!

Edited February 22, 2024 by Metwatch

[WYorksWeather]

 Metwatch Edited it now. I blame tiredness - it's been a long day...

[johncam]

46C in Las Vegas , think it was July  2001

[Marcus_surfer]

40°C Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt...Hot but didnt feel too bad due to low dew point and humidity.

35°C Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico... Felt unbearable walking around the pyramid...The humidity was pushing 70% so it felt more like 50°C

[Arctic Hare]

Chalk me up as yet another one for July 2019. It was "only" about 36.5 °C in my location, but I'm almost certain that's still the highest I've ever experienced, anywhere.

[Met.]

90°C, in Buxton, Derbyshire.

That is, in a sauna at the Palace Hotel.

Otherwise, it's 39°C in Sheffield, UK on 19th July 2022.

I haven't travelled enough, clearly.

[RJBingham]

45c Melbourne.

[Summer8906]

Hard to know for sure but it could be 10 August 2003 in inland Hampshire. Are there any detailed maps of maxima on that day? I would guess at around 36 or 37C.

I was out of the country for 2022 so I believe I have never experienced temps of 38C or more, and in any case temps above 32C are exceptionally rare in coastal southern Hampshire. At home I believe that day (19 July 2022) was cloudy with distinctly muted temps, and not even the hottest day of that summer; these days most of the extreme hot temps are eastern England only events, with cloudy weather further west. 31 July 2020 and 25 (?) July 2019 are other examples, both rather cloudy here with the sunniest weather occurring on the preceding day.

In Greece the highest I've experienced is (I think) again about 36 or 37C, last summer. It's a slightly elevated location (around 300-400m) so somewhat cooler than sea-level. Thessaloniki got up to around 41, but it is normally around 4C higher in summer.

So probably a tie between 10 August 2003 in Hampshire and last July in Greece, depending on how hot it got locally in 2003.

The UK runner-up would be 19 July 2006 again in inland Hampshire, perhaps around 35C. Perhaps Aug 1990 too.

Interesting that my likely 36 or 37 is rather unimpressive compared to other posts!

Edited February 23, 2024 by Summer8906

[Metwatch]

1 hour ago, Summer8906 said:

Are there any detailed maps of maxima on that day? I would guess at around 36 or 37C.

Yes, RoostWeather is great:

http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/maxtemp_map.php?date=2003-08-10&button_press=1

And also a Met Office article on the event:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/interesting/2003/hot-spell---august-2003---met-office.pdf

 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

 Arctic Hare 35.7c in 2022 for me

[Summer8906]

 Metwatch thanks. Unfortunately the area I was in is some way from any of the readings but interpolating, it looks like it was around 36.

 

[Markus03]

A little over 36 degrees in 2010, believe it or not, in Finland. I haven't traveled much outside my country. I only visit Baltics and Nordic countries.

[Cirrusly Snowy]

41C coming off a plane in Qatar at 2am 

[cj114]

41c in Minorca 1994. 

Pretty warm! A few older people in the Town died that week, very sad.

It broke with an amazing Thunderstorm the night before we went home. Temp dropped down to 22c and I was freezing.