Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded in Eastern Hemisphere Just Happened

Science

 | July 25, 2016 | By Jason Owen

Chances are you’re reading this somewhere in the United States and the chances are also good that wherever you are in the States, it’s pretty damn hot. As a heat dome has settled over most of the continental United States, temperatures are soaring, sometimes to record heights. But the U.S. isn’t the only place experiencing unusual and dangerous heat.

Over the weekend, cities in both Kuwait and Iraq experienced record-setting heat of 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit (51.6 degress Celsius). Other cities in the region, including in Saudi Arabia and Iran, the temperature was a hellish 125 degrees.

Middle East #heatwave. Check out the temperatures for #Kuwait on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/EkPbnDSRcj

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— WMO | OMM (@WMO) July 22, 2016

The 129.2 degree mark is the warmest temperature ever recorded in the eastern hemisphere and now the second warmest temperature recorded ever. According to ASU.edu, the warmest temperature ever recorded was in Death Valley, California, in 1913 when thermometers struck an astounding 134 degrees Fahrenheit.

@afreedma WMO will evaluate the 54.0°C (129.2°F) at Mitrabah, Kuwait, 21 July, to see if it is new record for eastern hemisphere and Asia.

— WMO | OMM (@WMO) July 22, 2016

Experts agree that the temperatures experienced in the Middle East could become more normal due to the effects of human-caused climate change.

So, be glad that where you are isn’t like what the Middle East is experiencing, but fearful that the same thing might be coming to our shores in the near future.

Record high minimum temps Monday morning: 81°F Wash DC … repeat Tuesday w/temps staying above 80°F for lows! pic.twitter.com/CcI9COycGD

— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) July 25, 2016