sigh
The 2010 heat wave: 5 excruciating climate records
Mon Aug 9, 4:00 am ET
New York – It's hot. So hot, in fact, that 2010 is on pace to become the warmest year, worldwide, since record-keeping began more than a century ago. The scorching weather has caused massive droughts in Thailand and Israel, and killed hundreds in India. Russia is still suffering from its worst heat wave in 130 years, which has sparked deadly wildfires and left thousands dead across the country. Some scientists have called the mercury-busting highs the "best evidence yet" for global warming. Are they right? Here is a look at some of the record-breaking temperatures from across the globe:
1. A new all-time high in Asia
Temperatures in Pakistan's ancient city of Mohenjo-daro reached a scorching 129 degrees on June 1, marking the hottest weather ever recorded in Asia, and the fourth highest temperature in history.
2. An unprecedented heat wave in Russia
With smoke from burning peat-bogs clogging the muggy air, the heat in Moscow on Friday broke the "psychological barrier" of 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Record heat in Sudan
While searing weather is common in Sudan, the 121-degree temperature recorded on June 25 in the city of Dongola was the hottest the country has ever seen. The previous record was set in 1987.
4. New all-time highs in the Middle East
U.S. troops in Iraq endured some of the most intense heat of the summer. The mercury hit a blistering 125.6 degrees Fahrenheit in July, the highest temperature ever recorded in the country.
5. The hottest month in U.S. history?
Preliminary reports suggest usatoday.com that July 2010 could be the warmest month ever in the United States, besting the record set in July 1936 — a time when the nation was beset by Dust Bowl conditions.
Sources: Guardian, AOL News, AccuWeather, BBC, NBC, Wall St. Journal
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