AndyC the WB wrote:

I was in Death Valley, California, earlier this year. 46degrees C in
the shade - so it was still relatively cool by their standards. They

It was about that (115F) when we visited the Dead Sea years ago but,
because of the low humidity it was bearable. Probably not the best
holiday destination nowadays but, if you get the chance, it's worth
going; floating on the Dead Sea still rates as one of the wierdest
experiences I've ever had. As a bonus, the atmosphere there blocks
nearly all UV in the sunlight.

regularly see peak temperatures in the mid 50's:

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/MichaelLevin.shtml

So now I've visited the driest place in the Western Hemisphere (also
Death Valley), the Wettest place in the world, the hottest place in
the word, and you can keep the coldest!

Incidentally, if you're complaining about the amount of rainfall in
the UK, Mount Wei'ale'ale on Kauai, the smallest of the 4 main
Hawaiian islands, has a long term average of 450 inches of rainfall a
year (or almost 1.25" per day), and a record of over 650" in a year.

AndyC