An epic Middle
East heat wave could be global warming’s hellish curtain-raiser –
Washington Post
“Parts of the
United Arab Emirates and Iran experienced a heat index — a measurement that
factors in humidity as well as temperature — that soared to 140 degrees in
July, and Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, recorded an all-time high temperature of nearly
126 degrees. Southern Morocco’s relatively cooler climate suddenly sizzled last
month, with temperatures surging to highs between 109 and 116 degrees. In May,
record-breaking temperatures in Israel caused a surged of heat-related
illnesses.
Temperatures in
Kuwait and Iraq startled observers. On July 22, the mercury climbed to 129
degrees in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. A day earlier, it reached 129.2 in
Mitribah, Kuwait. If confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization, the
two temperatures would be the hottest ever recorded in the Eastern Hemisphere.”
Related: The Not-Fertile Crescent – Middle East Faces
Climate Challenge
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21703269-more-war-climate-change-making-region-hard-live-infertile