On 13 September 2012 the World Meteorological Organisation disqualified the record for the highest recorded temperature, exactly 90 years after it had been established at El Azizia, Libya, with a measurement of 58°C. The official highest recorded temperature is now 56.7°C (134°F), which was measured on 10 July 1913 at Greenland Ranch, Death Valley, California, USA. 
 
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 As a result of an investigation in 2012, the WMO concluded that the El Azizia record measurement could be inaccurate by as much as 7°C due to a combination of factors including the asphalt-like surface over which the measurement was taken, which is not a fair representation of the native desert soil. 
 
 Randy Cerveny, a member of the WMO and professor of geography at Arizona State University, commented in 2012: "This investigation demonstrates that, because of continued improvements in meteorology and climatology, climate experts can now re-analyze past weather records in much more detail than ever before." 
 
 He added: "We accept that Death Valley temperature extreme record. Obviously if any new materials on it surface, we will be prepared to open an investigation, but at this time all available evidence points to its legitimacy." 
 
 The air temperature of the aptly named Furnace Creek in Death Valley reaches a staggering average daily high of 115°F - making Death Valley the hottest place on Earth. 
 
 It gets even hotter on the ground: a measurement of 201°F was taken on July 15 1972 - just 11 degrees away from the boiling point of water. 
 
 One of the reasons Death Valley has the hottest temperature ever recorded is because it is approximately 190 ft below the sea level, and air warms as it gets lower. 
 
 In addition to this, there is less than three inches of rain in the desert valley each year. 

 Story highlights Temperature at the town of Phalodi hits 51 degrees Celsius 
 
 Breaks the previous record of 50.6 degrees Celsius, set in 1956 
 
 (CNN) India recorded its highest-ever temperature on Thursday when the heat in the town of Phalodi, in the western state of Rajasthan, shot up to a burning 51 degrees Celsius (123.8 degrees Fahrenheit). 
 
 It was the second day in a row the town experienced temperatures in excess of 50 degrees Celsius. 
 
 Other towns in the state, such as Churu, also recorded highs of about 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) the same day. 
 
 In New Delhi, the capital, the temperature reached nearly 47 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. 
 
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 This article is over 2 years old 
 
 The previous record of 50.6C stood since 1956 but wilted in the latest summer heatwave to hit the country 
 
 India records its hottest day ever as temperature hits 51C (that's 123.8F) 
 
 A city in northern India has shattered the national heat record, registering a searing 51C – the highest since records began – amid a nationwide heatwave. 
 
 
 
 The new record was set in Phalodi, a city in the desert state of Rajasthan, and is the equivalent of 123.8F. 
 
 It tops a previous record of 50.6C set in 1956. 
 
 “Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country ... 51C in Phalodi,” said BP Yadav, a director of India’s meteorological department, on Friday. 
 
 Temperatures in northern India regularly hit the high 40s in May and June – the hottest months of the year – but topping 50C is unusual. 
 
 The record for India is thought to be 50.6C (123F), recorded in 1956 in the northern town of Alwar (pdf). 
 
 The weather office has issued warnings of “severe heat wave” conditions across large parts of India’s northern and western regions through the weekend. 
 
 Several hundred people are thought to have died during this year’s heatwave and some areas have banned daytime cooking in order to limit the fire risk. 
 
 More than a thousand people died during a heatwave in 2015, mainly caused by dehydration in the southern part of the country. 
 
 India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature hits 45 degrees Celsius, or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years. 
 
 

 Image copyright EPA Image caption The weather office has issued several warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions in recent days 
 
 A city in India's Rajasthan state has broken the country's temperature records after registering 51C, the highest since records began, the weather office says. 
 
 The new record in Phalodi in the desert state comes amid a heatwave across India. 
 
 The previous record for the hottest temperature stood at 50.6C in 1956. 
 
 The heatwave has hit much of northern India, where temperatures have exceeded 40C for weeks. 
 
 The run-up to the Indian monsoon season is always characterised by weeks of strong sunshine and increasing heat but life-threatening temperature levels topping 50C are unusual. 
 
 Rumours and memes as Indians vent frustration on social media 
 
 Murari Lal Thanvi, an eyewitness in Phalodi, told the BBC he had struggled to stay outdoors on Friday. 
 
 "Even my mobile phone gave up and stopped working when I was trying to take pictures today," he said. 
 
 "I was able to switch my mobile phone on after putting a wet cloth on it for about 20-25 minutes." 
 
 India Heatwave 51C Temperature recorded on Thursday in Phalodi, Rajasthan 50.6C Previous record for the hottest temperature in India, 1956 
 
 45C Temperature at which India declares a heatwave 
 
 56.7C Hottest temperature ever recorded (Death Valley, US, 1913) 
 
 GETTY 
 
 The weather office has issued warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions across large parts of India's northern and western states through the weekend. 
 
 India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature hits 45C, or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years. 
 
 Image copyright Murari Lal Thanvi Image caption The searing heat in Phalodi did not stop this sweet shop maker from plying his trade 
 
 This summer, the heatwave has claimed dozens of lives in the south Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. 
 
 Permanent relief from the heat is only expected with the arrival of the monsoon, which normally comes in mid-June.
– A city in the Indian state of Rajasthan just broke the mercury and recorded the country's highest temperature ever, the Guardian reports. Per a director in the nation's meteorological department, Phalodi reached 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, breaking the previous record of 123.1 degrees set in 1956 in Alwar. And it doesn't look like the weekend will bring much relief, with the weather office noting there will be "severe heat wave" conditions in the north and west. The BBC notes that while it's typical for India to experience increasing temps and full-on sun right before the start of monsoon season (around mid-June), it's not as common for the thermometer to creep past 122 degrees. "Even my mobile phone gave up and stopped working when I was trying to take pictures today," one Phalodi local says. "I was able to switch [it back] on after putting a wet cloth on it for about 20 [to] 25 minutes." Indian state governments estimate more than 370 people have died in 2016's heat so far, per CNN. The world record still lies with Death Valley, Calif., however, where the mercury hit 134 degrees in July 1913. (There were "melting roads" in New Delhi last year.)