E xperiencing hot temperatures during the month of July in the northern hemisphere is not unusual in many places; but the ambient temperature reached a record high of 53.7 degrees Celsius — or 129 degrees Fahrenheit — on Thursday, June 29, 2017 in the city of Ahvaz in Iran, according to Accuweather.
129 Degrees? This Place is Hot, Hot, Hot!
According to Weather Underground, the temperature actually reached 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit; and the heat index reached 142.1 degrees Fahrenheit at 4:51 in the afternoon local time. Although the humidity in the air was only 17 percent, the dew point was an uncomfortable 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other sources claim that the actual high temperature was 128.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
The record not only shattered the previous record of 127.4 degrees Fahrenheit for the country of Iran; but 129 degrees was also the hottest temperature ever recorded in the continent of Asia in the month of June — and it was also one of the hottest temperatures ever recorded and officially confirmed in the world.
The historical average high temperature in Ahvaz is typically a balmy 113 degrees Fahrenheit; but the good news is that the low temperature was 85 degrees Fahrenheit — which is exactly average.
Higher than average temperatures are expected in Ahvaz through Monday, July 17, 2017, as the forecast at this time calls for high temperatures to range from 120 to 123 degrees Fahrenheit every day before cooling down to a relatively chilly 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Break out the winter gear.
Ahvaz — to which I have never been — is located approximately 370 miles across the northern Persian Gulf from Bahrain, which I visited a couple of years ago. The air felt oppressively hot in Bahrain when I was there — probably because of the humidity.
The Heat is On
The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley in California on Thursday, July 10, 1913 — but that record is disputed, as some meteorologists believe that the hottest temperature ever recorded was 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit in both Death Valley on Thursday, June 20, 2013 and Mitribah in Kuwait on Thursday, July 21, 2016.
The western United States endured its own heat wave last month. As one of many examples, Needles in California experienced a high temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, June 20, 2017, which tied an all-time record. The record would have been officially shattered had a reading of 126 degrees Fahrenheit lasted for longer than five minutes.
Summary
I decided to break the consecutive wave of articles related to Canada in honor of the celebration of 150 years since Canada became a confederation on Monday, July 1, 1867 with this article. No sweat.
Regardless of the disputed claims of record high temperatures, Thursday seems to coincidentally be the unofficial day as to when the hottest weather occurs and breaks records…
…but that is probably of literally little comfort to the 168 passengers aboard an airplane which operated as Air India flight 880 from Bagdogra to Delhi and had an air conditioning system — as well as oxygen masks — that reportedly malfunctioned…
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