Middle East - Summer Furnace

[Guest]

With today being the first day of summer in the UK many of us will be looking forward to a continuing increase in temperature and sun. Off course in the Middle East extreme heat in the summer is no stranger but leading the way (even possibly globally & ahead of Death Valley) are Basrah in Iraq and Mitribah in Kuwait.

For the three months of summer in 2017 Basrah had an average maximum temperature of 48.2C, only two days were below 40C (both 39.8C) and only a further 8 days less than 45C. 35days exceeded 50C!!!(9 more than Death Valley last year). Mitribah was very similar but I don't have access to the historical data only the current data set.

Both locations have recorded two of the three highest (reliable) temperatures on the planet in the past two year with Mitribah at 54.0C and Basrah at 53.8C and despite being so early in the extreme heat season GFS has a huge dome of heat building over the region potentially about to deliver some the highest temperatures seen ever in the first half of June. By the end of next week towards the northern extremities of the Persian Gulf 850mb temps are close to 40C with ground temperatures forecast to reach 52-53C.

I thought I'd use this thread to monitor all things super hot throughout summer 2018 as I have a sneaky suspicion one of these two locations might just record the first ever reliable 130 Fahrenheit (54.4C) and depose Death Valley from top spot as I'm certain only a matter of time until that dodgy 57C/134f reading from July 1913 is fully discredited.

[Cakie]

Having lived out in the Middle East for a few years I can concur that it never gets below 40c in the 3 summer months. 

I watch with interest to see if this year is likely to be a record setting year 

[Guest]

Starting to warm up in the middle east. Majority of these locations had overnight minima of 32-36C....

 

1	Basrah-Hussen (Iraq)	50.6 °C
2	Mitribah (Kuwait)	50.2 °C
3	Experimental Farm (Kuwait)	50.1 °C
4	Basrah Int. Airport (Iraq)	50.0 °C
5	Sulaibiya (Kuwait)	49.7 °C
6	Jahra (Kuwait)	49.6 °C
7	Sabriyah (Kuwait)	49.6 °C
8	Al Ahsa (Saudi Arabia)	49.5 °C
9	Kuwait Internationalairport (Kuwait)	49.4 °C

[MP-R]

I'd be interested to know how it manages to stay so hot to such extremes for such a long time, even at night.

[Deep Snow please]

I can't understand how anyone can actually live in places this hot.