[Reader-list] record temperatures in 17 countries
Nagraj Adve
nagraj.adve at gmail.com
Fri Aug 13 16:01:47 IST 2010
from the Guardian, 12 August
Naga
World feeling the heat as 17 countries experience record temperatures
2010 sees record highs in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine but also many
African, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries
2010 is becoming the year of the heatwave, with record temperatures
set in 17 countries.
Record highs have occurred in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine – the three
nations at the centre of the eastern European heatwave which has
lasted for more than three weeks – but also African, Middle Eastern
and Latin American countries.
Temperatures in Moscow, which have been consistently 20C above normal,
today fell to 31C (86F), and President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled a
state of emergency in three out of seven Russian regions affected by
forest fires.
Thousand of hectares of forest burned in the fires, killing 54 people
and leaving thousands homeless. For days, Moscow was shrouded in smog,
and environmentalists raised fears that the blaze could release
radioactive particles from areas contaminated in the 1986 Chernobyl
disaster.
Wildfires have also swept through northern Portugal, killing two
firefighters and destroying 18,000 hectares (44,500 acres) of forests
and bushland since late July. Some 600 firefighters were today
struggling to contain 29 separate fires.
But the extreme heat experienced in Europe would barely have
registered in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Niger, Pakistan and Sudan, all of
which have recorded temperatures of more than 47C (115F) since June.
The number of record highs is itself a record – the previous record
was for 14 new high temperatures in 2007.
The freak weather conditions, which have devastated crops and
wildlife, are believed to have killed thousands of elderly people,
especially in Russia and northern India. The 2003 European heatwave
killed about 15,000 people.
Pakistan, now experiencing its worst ever floods, had Asia's hottest
day in its history on 26 May, when 53.5C (128.3F) was recorded in
Mohenjo-daro, according to the Pakistani Meteorological Department.
The heatwaves have also been occurring in the US, where Las Vegas,
Atlantic City, Washington, Baltimore and Trenton all documented their
highest ever temperatures in July.
The global research, collated by meteorologists at weather information
provider Weather Underground, supports US government data collated on
11 different indicators – from air and sea temperatures to melting ice
– which showed temperatures rising around the world since the 1850s.
This June was also the hottest ever on record and 2010 is on course to
be the warmest year since records began, according to separate data
from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published
last month.
Only one country has set a record for its coldest-ever temperature in
2010. Guinea, in west Africa, recorded 1.4C (34.5F) in a nine-day cold
snap at Mali-ville in the Labe region in January. Farmers lost most of
their crops and animals.
Record temperatures in 2010
Belarus, 7 August, 38.9C (102F) at Gomel
Ukraine, 1 August, 41.3C (106.3F), Lukhansk, Voznesensk
Cyprus, 1 August, 46.6C (115.9F), Lefconica
Finland, 29 July, 37.2C (99F), Joensuu
Qatar, 14 July, 50.4C (122.7F), Doha airport
Russia, 11 July, 44.0C (111.2F), Yashkul
Sudan, 25 June, 49.6C (121.3F), Dongola
Niger, 22 June, 47.1C (116.8F), Bilma
Saudi Arabia, 22 June, 52.0C (125.6F), Jeddah
Chad, 22 June, 47.6C (117.7F), Faya
Kuwait, 15 June, 52.6C (126.7F), Abdaly
Iraq, 14 June, 52.0C (125.6F), Basra
Pakistan, 26 May, 53.5C (128.3F), Mohenjo-daro
Burma, 12 May, 47C (116.6F), Myinmu
Ascension Island, 25 March, 34.9C (94.8F), Georgetown
Solomon Islands, 1 February, 36.1C (97F), Lata Nendo
Colombia, 24 January, 42.3C (108F), Puerto Salgar
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