What is the highest temperature ever recorded in Brazil? And in the world?

In Brazil, the record is held by the city of Nova Maringá (MT). In November 2020, the temperature there reached 44.8°C. The number is slightly higher than the previous record, from Bom Jesus (PI), where the thermometer marked 44.7 oC in the summer of 2005.

The highest ambient temperature recorded in the world was in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913: an unbelievable 56.7 degrees. The trademark, however, is controversial because it is an old registration and has not been double-checked.

In any case, spikes like this are caused by hot flashes that can last for a few days or several weeks. “A heat wave is considered when the temperature reaches around 32ºC and, normally, five degrees above normal for that area. This lasts for at least two days”, says meteorologist Micheline de Sousa Coelho, from the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), in São Paulo.

Despite not knowing for sure the reasons that lead to these sudden increases in temperature, researchers claim that this has been very common, especially in large cities.

“In São Paulo, for example, a considerable increase in temperature has been observed in the last decade”, says Micheline. Some specialists believe that the causes of so much heat are natural factors and that this would be part of a cycle, as occurred during the melting of glaciers at the end of the ice ages.

The vast majority of scholars, however, bet that the climate mess is the result of the increase in the greenhouse effect, which resulted in global warming.

The emission of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, resulting from the deforestation of forests and the burning of fuels, works like a blanket that retains heat on Earth, causing the controversial effect. The result is the intense heat during summers in the four corners of the planet.

The biggest problem with heat waves is that people are not always ready to face them, which causes many deaths from dehydration and heatstroke.

But there in Curitiba…

Known for its reputation for being cold, Curitiba, in Paraná, has a much warmer neighbor. 90 kilometers from the state capital is the city of Antonina, which at the end of 2018 recorded a thermal sensation of an impressive 81oC.

On December 18 of that year, the Meteorological System of Paraná (Simepar) announced that the city’s thermometers reached a maximum close to 44.3ºC. Thermal sensation is measured using variables such as wind speed and air humidity. The higher the humidity, the greater the feeling of heat.