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Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

Scorching ‘heat dome’ over Middle East sees temperatures soar to 165°F in Iran

Author:     James Rothwell
Source:     The Telegraph (U.K.)
Publication Date:     4:37PM BST 01 Aug 2015
 Link: Scorching ‘heat dome’ over Middle East sees temperatures soar to 165°F in Iran
Stephan:   Want a sense of what climate change is going to bring to parts of the world? Try this on.  Ronlyn tells me there are things she makes that are baked at 165°F. In the Libyan desert I have been in temperatures as high as 122°F. My Bedouin workers laid down their tools at 114°F and retreated to their tents, telling me it was not safe for humans to work at temperatures above that. And I certainly had not reason to doubt that. At 122°F I discovered the best your car air conditioning can do is tepid.
A graphic showing temperatures on Thursday Credit: The Telegraph

A graphic showing temperatures on Thursday
Credit: The Telegraph

‘That was one of the most incredible temperature observations I have ever seen and it is one of the most extreme readings ever in the world,’ said AccuWeather meteorologist Anthony Saglia.

It is just a few degrees lower than the highest ever recorded heat index, which was 178F (81C) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on July 8, 2003.

In neigbouring countries such as Iraq the government has urged residents to drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun amid fears they could be struck down by what experts refer to as a “heat dome” rampaging across the Middle East.

The dome – a type of high pressure ridge that is passing over the region – has exacerbated electricity and water supply issues and makes the scorching heat even more unbearable.

In the south residents have cranked up the air conditioning as high as it will go, while the more lucky among them have escaped to nearby beaches in a […]

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