Which desert holds the record for highest land surface temperature?

Which desert holds the record for highest land surface temperature? The answer is the Lut Desert.

Also called Dasht-e Lut, this desert lies in southeastern Iran across Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. NASA’s MODIS instruments measured a land-surface temperature of 70.7°C (159.3°F) there in 2005, making it the best-known satellite-recorded land-surface extreme. Later analyses using newer data have reported an even higher reading of 80.83°C in 2018.

This record refers to the temperature of the ground, not the air measured in a standard weather station. Dark rocks, bare sand, intense sunlight, and extremely low moisture allow the surface to heat far beyond the surrounding air. That distinction is why the Lut Desert is often confused with Death Valley, which is famous for the highest officially recognized air temperature.

The Lut is not merely a hot, empty expanse. It contains vast dune fields, salt flats, wind-carved ridges called kaluts, and temporary streams that vanish rapidly after seasonal rain. UNESCO added the desert to its World Heritage List in 2016.