Global Extreme Temperatures in 2014: 3 All-Time National Cold Records, 2 Heat Records

Despite the fact that 2014 will likely be classified as Earth's warmest year in history in an announcement due from NOAA on January 16, the year was not a notable one for all-time national heat records. Two nations tied or set all-time records for their hottest temperature in recorded history in 2014, and three territories set all-time cold records. For comparison, five countries and three territories set all-time hottest temperature records in 2013; the most all-time national heat records in a year was twenty nations and one territory in 2010. Since 2010, 45 nations or territories (out of a total of 235) have set or tied all-time heat records, and four have set all-time cold temperature records. Since each of those years ranked as one of the top twelve warmest years in Earth's recorded history (with 2010 being the warmest year on record), this sort of disparity in national heat and cold records is to be expected. Most nations do not maintain official databases of extreme temperature records, so the national temperature records reported here are in many cases not official. I use as my source for international weather records Maximiliano Herrera, one of the world's top climatologists, who maintains a comprehensive list of extreme temperature records for every nation in the world on his website. If you reproduce this list of extremes, please cite Maximiliano Herrera as the primary source of the weather records. Wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt maintains a database of these national heat and cold records for 235 nations and territories on wunderground.com's extremes page.

New all-time national and territorial heat records set in 2014
Iran set a new all-time heat record of 53.0°C (127.4°F) at Gotvand on 17 July, which tied the record set at Dehloran on 28 July 2011.

Latvia set a new all-time heat record of 37.8°C (100°F) at Ventspils on 4 August. Previous record: 36.4°C at Daugavpils on 4 August 1943.

New all-time territorial cold records set in 2014
Heard and McDonald Islands (uninhabited territory of Australia) set a new all-time cold record of -11.5°C (11.3°F) at The Split. Previous record: -10.6°C at Atlas Cove on 2 August 1949.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands (French territory) set a new all-time cold record of -9.5°C (14.9°F) at Port Aux Francais on 11 August. Previous record: -9.4°C at the same location on 27 June 1953.

Wallis and Futuna (French territory) set an all-time cold record of 18.0°C (64.4°F) at Hihifo on 13 July. Previous record: 18.4°C at the same location on 9 July 1978 and 26 August 2003.

Notable global heat and cold records set in 2014
Hottest temperature in the world in 2014: 53.0°C (127.4°F) at Gotvand, Iran on 17 July
Coldest temperature in the world in 2014: -80.8°C (-113.4°F) at Vostok, Antarctica, 20 August
Hottest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 49.3°C (120.7°F) at Moomba Aero, Australia, 2 January
Coldest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -63.3°C (-81.9°F) at Summit GEO, Greenland, 23 March

Number of major world stations which set their all time highest temperature in 2014: 198 (for comparison, this was 389 in 2013.)

Number of major world stations which set their all time lowest temperature in 2014: 15 (for comparison, this was 12 in 2013.)

New high temperature records in world capitals in 2014
Minsk, Belarus reached 35.6°C (96.1°F) on 3 August, beating the old record of 35.0°C set on 29 July 1936.

Jakarta, Indonesia reached 37.0°C (98.6°F) on 24 September, beating the old record of 36.8°C set on 2 October 2006.

A big thanks goes to Maximiliano Herrera for providing the information in this post.

Jeff Masters