Big Temps
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The United States doesn't own the record for the world's hottest temperature. That honor goes to El Azizia in Libya, where it once hit 136 Fahrenheit. However, Death Valley is no slouch when it comes to heat.

Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is the Weather Notebook.

You can see for how hot it is by going to the town of Baker, California, which is right where you turn off I-15 for Death Valley. If you stand in front of the Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker, you can watch the heat in all its triple-digit glory on the world's tallest thermometer. This steel-reinforced column soars 134 feet into the desert air, in honor of Death Valley's all-time record of 134 degrees. The device isn't really a thermometer-it's actually a digital display that updates itself every few seconds based on a real thermometer near the ground. An LCD panels is positioned on the column for every 10 degrees of temperature, so you have to crane your neck to read the temperature as it heats up. Last year, during California's energy crisis, the owners began turning off the display for a few hours each night. Otherwise the lights are blazing night and day, even when the temperature isn't. There is a way to experience the heat without actually going there. You can call a toll-free number to hear the latest in Baker temps. Just dial 1-800-204-TEMP, that's 1-800-204-TEMP. You might want to put on sunscreen first.

Thanks today to writer Bob Henson from Boulder, Colorado where the mean temperature in the summer months is about 85. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mt. Washington Observatory and is supported by Subaru of America. Thanks today to assistant producer Doug Sanborn.