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Probably low 100s along the Kuwaiti coast in shallow water, and mid-90s offshore.
It always amazes me that people view Dubai as a beach destination. In winter, maybe, but in the summer, you'd have to be certifiably mentally ill to swim in water hot enough to give you hyperthermia.
No way..low 100's?? overexaggeration. Highest seas surface temp right now is low 90's. In fact a search shows Qatar has highest seas temp on July 24 at 93 degrees.
Christopher Burt, weather historian, thinks this record is flawed.
He believes the highest accurate temperature recorded in Furnace Creek, Death Valley occurred in 2013 and is tied with Kuwait's recent accomplishment. 129.2, or something like that.
I was just reading about it the other day on the Weather Underground.
I believe 134 degrees was accurate. Actually, it's very likely for Death Valley to exceed 130 degrees, especially considering the geography of the area: 200 feet below sea level in a vast open desert with little to no vegetation. It's the lowest & hottest spot in North America where summer temps easily exceed 120 degrees on a regular basis. In comparison, Lake Havasu City, AZ (700 feet above sea level) reached 128 degrees in the summers of 1995 & 2007. I'd say it's probable for certain locations in CA, AZ, or NV to reach 130 degrees if the conditions are right. In some Middle Eastern locations, the probability is just as great (or greater in some cases).
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Originally Posted by Valley Native
I believe 134 degrees was accurate. Actually, it's very likely for Death Valley to exceed 130 degrees, especially considering the geography of the area: 200 feet below sea level in a vast open desert with little to no vegetation. It's the lowest & hottest spot in North America where summer temps easily exceed 120 degrees on a regular basis. In comparison, Lake Havasu City, AZ (700 feet above sea level) reached 128 degrees in the summers of 1995 & 2007. I'd say it's probable for certain locations in CA, AZ, or NV to reach 130 degrees if the conditions are right. In some Middle Eastern locations, the probability is just as great (or greater in some cases).
The 128 in LHC has been deemed bogus, especially since Needles, CA, which has the same climate AND an official NWS station, has not gone above 125°
The 128 in LHC has been deemed bogus, especially since Needles, CA, which has the same climate AND an official NWS station, has not gone above 125°
Hmmm ... so would that mean that Phoenix's all time record high of 122 in June, 1990, and second all time record high of 121 in July, 1995 could be bogus? Especially considering Phoenix sits at a higher elevation than Havasu or Needles, and has never gotten above 118 degrees in the 95 years of record keeping (until that fateful heat wave in 1990).
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Hmmm ... so would that mean that Phoenix's all time record high of 122 in June, 1990, and second all time record high of 121 in July, 1995 could be bogus? Especially considering Phoenix sits at a higher elevation than Havasu or Needles, and has never gotten above 118 degrees in the 95 years of record keeping (until that fateful heat wave in 1990).
I never said the 121&122 were bogus, those are from an official NWS station. And there is not THAT MUCH of an elevation difference. Sky Harbor is 1,100 ft, Needles is 500 ft and LHC is 450 ft. Lapse rate is around 3 to 4° per 1,000 ft. So 122 in Phoenix would be 124 in Needles and 124-125 in LHC
A nice article on the history and which records were broken exactly, and also a tidbit about heat indices which occur in other parts of the Persian Gulf as well:
I think someone in the other thread mentioned the waters in the Persian Gulf being over 100F by now? Looks like high 90s judging by 2m temp which was predicted there:
That person was me
Quote:
Originally Posted by jp03
No way..low 100's?? overexaggeration. Highest seas surface temp right now is low 90's. In fact a search shows Qatar has highest seas temp on July 24 at 93 degrees.
If the waters off the west coast of Florida can get above 90 F, it is certainly plausible for those shallow Persian Gulf waters to rise above 100 F in the face of 120 F+ degree heat. Do not underestimate the rapid warming power of shallow sea water.
No way..low 100's?? overexaggeration. Highest seas surface temp right now is low 90's. In fact a search shows Qatar has highest seas temp on July 24 at 93 degrees.
Nope, not an exaggeration.
You have to understand that official sea surface temperature measurements are taken well offshore for precisely this reason. Even if the measurement depth is the same (in this case, 2 meters), a reading taken offshore where the water is 50 m deep will be much cooler in summer (and warmer in winter) than a reading taken in water that is only 3 m deep. The offshore water features more mixing with cooler depths. Even though warm water floats on top of cooler, denser water, the strong winds typical of summer in this region force a good deal of vertical mixing. Most people swim within a hundred yards of the beach, not two miles offshore.
The same shallow water near Kuwait cools off to the low 50s (and in rare cases, upper 40s) in January, whereas offshore water rarely dips below 60.
I'm living in Kuwait currently. It did get super hot for a few days. To me though, it just doesn't feel as hot as it sounds. I don't mean I go out and spend a lot of time outdoors but the pool is really nice as I love warm water to swim in. I haven't gotten in the Arabian Gulf to check it out but I see people swimming in it.
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Nope, not an exaggeration.
You have to understand that official sea surface temperature measurements are taken well offshore for precisely this reason. Even if the measurement depth is the same (in this case, 2 meters), a reading taken offshore where the water is 50 m deep will be much cooler in summer (and warmer in winter) than a reading taken in water that is only 3 m deep. The offshore water features more mixing with cooler depths. Even though warm water floats on top of cooler, denser water, the strong winds typical of summer in this region force a good deal of vertical mixing. Most people swim within a hundred yards of the beach, not two miles offshore.
The same shallow water near Kuwait cools off to the low 50s (and in rare cases, upper 40s) in January, whereas offshore water rarely dips below 60.
That doesn't quite sound right. Considering Kuwait City has a mean of 55-56° in January, I would think that the Gulf waters wouldn't get colder than that
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