Torrid

Sand dune in Sahara

Few places are more torrid than the Sahara Desert of North Africa. The air is so hot and dry that a person can lose a gallon of water per hour just by being there—two if walking. The sand gets hot enough to fry an egg. Still, it does not compare with Dallol, Ethiopia, whose inhabitants endure an average daily high of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the hottest inhabited place on Earth.

Torrid (pronounced “TOR-id”)

1. *Parched with the heat of the sun; intensely hot.
2. Scorching; burning: the torrid noonday sun.
3. Passionate; ardent: a torrid love scene.
4. Hurried; rapid: set a torrid pace; torrid economic growth.

Etymology

From Latin torrere, “to parch”. Torrere is also the root of terrain, torrent, and toast.

Synonyms

blistering, arid, parched, sweltering

Sources

Earth’s Natural Wonders, Wikipedia: Extremes on Earth |   Photo by: Espirit de Sel