Iranian City Nearly Reaches Hottest Temperature On Earth In Modern Measurements

Ahvaz, a south-western city in Iran, has seen its temperatures soar to 129 degrees, which is close to the hottest ever recorded in modern times.

It is officially the hottest temperature ever in Iran and tied for the record of the most extreme high temperature, the Washington Post reports.

Etienne Kapikian, a forecaster at French meteorological agency, MeteoFrance, confirmed the news on Thursday when posting to Twitter that the heat had reached 53.7°C (128.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

He said it is a 'new absolute national record of reliable Iranian heat', surpassing the previous measurement of 127.4.

Death Valley, located in eastern California, holds the official record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. On July 10, 1913, measurements recorded 134 degrees (57 Celsius) - scorchio.

However, weather historian for Weather Underground, Christopher Burt, previously criticsed the readings, claiming that it was 'essentially not possible from a meteorological perspective' and that an error had been made.

The desert area is known for its extreme heat and this was apparent earlier this week when people were forced to drive with oven gloves on.

Temperatures in parts of Arizona and Nevada hit as high as 48C, causing cacti to wilt and wheelie bins to melt. People were also driven to extreme lengths to avoid the worst of the heat.

People posted photos of themselves driving while wearing oven gloves to avoid the heat of the steering wheel, as well as attempting a few risky outdoor cooking experiments.

With already-soaring temperatures amplified by hot cars, one person decided to get the cookie dough out and make biscuits on the dashboard, while another made pancakes.

Of course, the famed fried-egg-on-the-bonnet was attempted by a fair few masterchefs.

The streets started to take on a Dali-esque feel, too, with melting plastic becoming a common sight. Paint on street signs started to slip, wheelie bins were giving up the ghost and mailboxes keeled over under the intense warmth.

The wildfire risk has sky-rocketed and several deaths have been attributed to the heat. Four people in the Las Vegas area are reported to have died, while California has seen at least two more.

Pheonix, AZ has been over 40C throughout the week and shows no signs of abating, while Las Vegas is expected to remain 40+, too.

The reading in Ahvaz will now be reviewed by the World Meteorological Organization and could match the highest modern global temperature.

Topics: Iran, hot, temperature

Mark McGowan

Mark is a journalist at LADbible, who joined in 2015 after a year as a freelance writer. In the past he blogged for independent football fan channel Redmen TV, after graduating from Staffordshire University with degrees in journalism and English literature. He has worked on campaigns such as UOKM8? and IIOC.