COURTESY OF AMANDA LEIGH PHOTOGRAPHY/RANDALL CERVENY
Randy Cerveny
During the summer of 2020, a weather station in Death Valley, California, recorded a temperature of 54°C (130°F). That’s just a little cooler than the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth!
Was the reading accurate? It’s Randy Cerveny’s job to find out. He helps verify weather records for the World Meteorological Organization. Cerveny gathers photos and records from local weather scientists. Experts study the data to determine if the record is valid. Investigations can take years. Cerveny’s team is still testing the instrument from Death Valley.
Documenting weather extremes is important for many reasons, says Cerveny. It helps engineers understand how to design buildings and bridges. And knowing how hot or cold a place can get can help doctors give medical advice to keep us safe.