The temperature range between the Earth’s poles is drastic due to a combination of factors, including the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the distribution of sunlight, and the circulation of ocean currents and air masses.
One of the main reasons for the temperature difference is that the Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. This means that the poles receive sunlight at a very oblique angle, resulting in less intense solar radiation and cooler temperatures.
Additionally, the distribution of sunlight is uneven due to the Earth’s rotation and the presence of the atmosphere, which causes some areas to receive more or less sunlight than others. The poles receive very little direct sunlight during the winter months, which leads to prolonged periods of darkness and extreme cold.
Finally, the circulation of ocean currents and air masses plays a significant role in the temperature differences between the poles. The ocean currents near the poles are cold and dense, which causes them to sink and flow towards the equator, while warm currents from the equator flow towards the poles. Similarly, cold air masses from the poles move towards the equator, while warm air masses from the equator move towards the poles.
All of these factors combine to create a drastic temperature range between the Earth’s poles, with the Arctic and Antarctic experiencing some of the coldest temperatures on the planet.
The weather surrounding our planet is in constant change. We are recording the extreme world temperatures hourly. This page presents the locations ( for which we receive data ) that made it into the top 30 hottest and bottom 30 coldest locations. The temperatures displayed are for one or more hours per the indicated location during the last 7 days. Hottest at the top of the list, Coldest at the bottom.
Hottest Temps Last Week:
44C | 111F at N’Djamena, ND, Chad
43C | 110F at Basra, BA, Iraq
43C | 109F at N’Djamena, ND, Chad
43C | 109F at Niamey, 8, Niger
43C | 109F at Khartoum, KH, Sudan
42C | 108F at N’Djamena, ND, Chad
42C | 108F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
42C | 108F at Niamey, 8, Niger
42C | 108F at Khartoum, KH, Sudan
42C | 108F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
42C | 107F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
41C | 106F at N’Djamena, ND, Chad
41C | 106F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
41C | 106F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
41C | 106F at Niamey, 8, Niger
41C | 106F at Riyadh, 01, Saudi Arabia
41C | 106F at Khartoum, KH, Sudan
41C | 106F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
40C | 105F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
40C | 104F at N’Djamena, ND, Chad
40C | 104F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
40C | 104F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
40C | 104F at Niamey, 8, Niger
40C | 104F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
40C | 103F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
39C | 103F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
39C | 103F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
39C | 102F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
39C | 102F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
39C | 102F at Mérida, YUC, Mexico
39C | 102F at Niamey, 8, Niger
39C | 102F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
38C | 101F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
38C | 101F at Mérida, YUC, Mexico
38C | 101F at Tapachula de Córdova, CHP, Mexico
38C | 100F at N’Djamena, ND, Chad
38C | 100F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
38C | 100F at Mérida, YUC, Mexico
38C | 100F at Niamey, 8, Niger
38C | 100F at Del Rio, TX, United States
38C | 100F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
38C | 99F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
37C | 99F at Yangon, 06, Myanmar
37C | 99F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
37C | 98F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
37C | 98F at Mérida, YUC, Mexico
36C | 97F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
36C | 97F at Niamey, 8, Niger
36C | 97F at Del Rio, TX, United States
36C | 97F at Da Nang, DN, Vietnam
36C | 97F at Ho Chi Minh City, SG, Vietnam
36C | 97F at Vientiane, VT, Laos
35C | 96F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
35C | 95F at Managua, MN, Nicaragua
35C | 95F at Da Nang, DN, Vietnam
35C | 95F at Ho Chi Minh City, SG, Vietnam
35C | 94F at Mérida, YUC, Mexico
34C | 94F at Roswell, NM, United States
34C | 93F at Nay Pyi Taw, 18, Myanmar
34C | 93F at Mandalay, 04, Myanmar
34C | 93F at Managua, MN, Nicaragua
34C | 93F at Niamey, 8, Niger
34C | 93F at Del Rio, TX, United States
34C | 93F at Phoenix, AZ, United States
34C | 93F at Ho Chi Minh City, SG, Vietnam
34C | 93F at Forbes Park, MNL, Philippines
33C | 91F at Port Moresby, NCD, Papua New Guinea
0C | 32F at Lordstown, OH, United States
COLDEST Temps Last Week:
0C | 32F at Lordstown, OH, United States
-45C | -49F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-48C | -54F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-48C | -54F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-48C | -55F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-48C | -55F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-49C | -56F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-49C | -56F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-50C | -57F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-50C | -57F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-50C | -58F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-51C | -60F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-53C | -64F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-53C | -64F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-55C | -66F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-55C | -66F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-55C | -67F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-55C | -67F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-55C | -68F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-56C | -68F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-56C | -69F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-56C | -69F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-56C | -70F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-58C | -73F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-59C | -74F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-59C | -74F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-59C | -75F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-60C | -76F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-61C | -77F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-61C | -77F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-62C | -79F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
-62C | -79F at Concordia Station, 00, Antarctica
-69C | -92F at Amundsen-Scott South, 00, Antarctica
Data based on our extreme 30 hottest and 30 coldest reporting stations.