Mohenjo-Daro Pakistan Hits 4th-Highest Temperature Ever Recorded - 129F

[hatrack]

a ruined city in what is now Pakistan that contains the last traces of a 4,000-year-old civilisation that flourished on the banks of the river Indus, today entered the modern history books after government meteorologists recorded a temperature of 53.7C (129F). Only Al 'Aziziyah, in Libya (57.8C in 1922), Death valley in California (56.7 in 1913) and Tirat Zvi in Israel (53.9 in 1942) are thought to have been hotter.

Temperatures in the nearest town, Larkana, have been only slightly lower in the last week, with 53C recorded last Wednesday. As the temperatures peaked, four people died, including a prisoner serving a life sentence for murder and an elderly woman. Dozens are said to have fainted.

The extreme heat was exacerbated by chronic power cuts which have prevented people from using air-conditioning. The electricity has cut out for eight hours each day as part of a severe load-shedding regime that has caused riots in other parts of Pakistan where cities are experiencing a severe heatwave with temperatures of between 43C and 47C. "It's very tough," said M B Kalhoro, a local correspondent for Dawn.com, an online newspaper. "When the power is out, people just stay indoors all the time."

The blistering heat now engulfing Pakistan stretches to India where more than 1,000 people have reportedly died of heatstroke or heart attacks in the last two months. Although Europe and China have experienced cooler than average winters, record or well-above average temperatures have been recorded in Tibet and Burma this year.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/01/pakistan-record-temperatures-heatwave

[ensho]

1. good grief! this city will start the list of record breaking heat

and the list will grow longer faster and faster

[Nederland]

2. You do realize this is weather, not climate, right?

After all, I would never cite the record lows that Switzerland (−32°C on 12/17/2009) and Ireland (−9 °C on 01/08/2010) experienced this past winter and hold them up as proof that global warming wasn't happening...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_2009%E2%80%932010_in_Europe

Record highs and record lows will occur from time to time regardless of whether the climate as a whole is getting warmer or colder. Their occurance proves nothing about climate change. Climate is about the big picture. In the big picture, the world is getting slightly warmer over time, though not nearly as warm as the climate alarmists have predicted.

[troubledamerican]

3. Study: Earth temperature projections could exceed liveable temps for humans

http://www.livescience.com/environment/earth-temp-may-exceed-livable-limits-100504.html

[Nihil]

4. True enough ...

... but I'm still damn glad I don't live in Larkana!

53C? :wow:

[The Croquist]

5. No! No! No!

Weather only counts if you are a "denier" and the temperature is cold or if you are a "believer" and the temperature is warm.

Record highs and lows occur quite often. There are 365 days in a year with 2 potential records per day (high and low) besides precipitation. That makes 730 potential records per year (732 in a leap year). Depending on how far back you go at a specific location it isn't surprising that records are set. I live in Stone Mountain Georgia USA, I don't really know but I would be shocked if records go back before about 1840 or 170 years ago and that is just records not accurate records. That means that in a typical year we can expect about 4 record highs or lows.

Now we are talking about Mohenjo-Daro. How long are their records let alone accurate records? OK it's been hot but some places are naturally hot.