Kuwait swelters in 54C heat – what could be the highest temperature ever recorded on earth

Kuwait swelters in 54C heat – what could be the highest temperature ever recorded on earth

The 'official' record was 56.7C on 10 July 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, California, but many doubt that reading was accurate

THAIR SHAIKH Sunday 24 July 2016

People in neighbouring Iraq are also enduring extremely high temperatures AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

If you're feeling flustered by the mini-heathwave over parts of the UK and Europe at the moment, then you'll want to avoid the Middle East right now. On Thursday a blistering temperature of 54C (129.3F) was recorded in Kuwait, firmly putting our hot spell into context. It is the highest temperature ever recorded in the eastern hemisphere and almost certainly the highest temperature ever recorded on earth.

A weather station in Mitribah, a remote featureless area of north-west Kuwait, took the temperature last week during an intense heatwave that continues in parts of the Middle East. The mercury in neighbouring Iraq on the same day soared to 53.9C (129F) in the ancient city of Basra.

If verified by the World Meteorological Organisation, they will almost certainly be the two highest temperatures ever recorded on the planet.

Until now the official record for the highest temperature was 56.7C (134.1F) on 10 July 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, California. But many modern meteorologists are sceptical of the record, arguing that the equipment used at the time was prone to error and not as reliable as modern recording methods.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/kuwait-swelters-record-breaking-54c-heatwave-weather-7152911.html

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