WMO Region II (Asia): Highest Temperature
| Record Value | 1. 53.9°C ±0.1°C (129.0°F ± 0.2°F) 2. 53.7 °C ±0.4 °C (128.7°F ±0.7°F |
|---|---|
| Date of Record | 1. 21/7 (July)/2016, 2. 28/5 (May)/2017 |
| Length of Record | |
| Instrumentation | |
| Geospatial Location | 1. Mitribah, Kuwait [29°N 49’28’, 47°E 21’35’, 119.56m (398 ft)] 2. Turbat Pakistan [25°N 59’, 63°E 04’,151 m (495 ft) } |
References
Temperature extreme records: World Meteorological Organization metrological and meteorological evaluation of the 54.0°C observations in Mitribah, Kuwait and Turbat, Pakistan in 2016/2017; Andrea Merlone, Hassan Al‐Dashti, Nadeem Faisal et al. International Journal of Climatology, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6132
Discussion
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially evaluated temperature record extremes of 54.0 °C at two locations, one in Mitribah, Kuwait, on 21 July 2016 and a second in Turbat, Pakistan, on 28 May 2017.
In its most intensive evaluation ever undertaken, the WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes, has verified the Mitribah observation as 53.9 °C (± 0.1 °C margin of uncertainty) and the Turbat one as 53.7 °C (± 0.4 °C).
The Mitribah, Kuwait temperature is now accepted by the WMO as the highest temperature ever recorded for the continental region of Asia and the two observations are the third (tied within uncertainty limits) and fourth highest WMO-recognized temperature extremes. Significantly, they are the highest, officially-recognized temperatures to have been recorded in the last 76 years.
Full details of the assessment are given in the on-line issue of the International Journal of Climatology published on 17 June 2019.