Australia Weather News

Temperatures over 50°C are rare in the World. The countries that have recorded such temperatures almost exclusively come from the Middle East to South Asia region.

They are Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and India. Outside that region, only the United States and Australia have reached 50°C. Bagdad – Iraq, with a high of 51.0°C and Kuwait City (51.9°C) are the only two capital cities to ever top 50°C.

It is worth noting that all officially accepted temperatures of 55°C or more occurred more than 80 years ago when some doubt about the exact conditions of the observation existed.

The world's highest temperature of 56.7°C at the appropriately named Furnace Creek, in Death Valley, California was measured of 10 July 1931 while African continent’s top of 55.0°C at Kebili in Tunisia occurred on 7 July 1931. In more recent times, the city of Basra in Iraq reached 52.0°C on 14 June 2010, and Sulaibya, an area of Kuwait City reached 53.8 °C of 31 July 2012.

In the last few weeks, India has set an all-time record high for any calendar day and extreme heat continues to sear northwest parts of that country and adjacent portions of Pakistan. The top temperature reached 51.0°C in Phalodi, India on Thursday 19 May 2016. Churu (50.2°C), Bikaner (49.5°C) and Jodhpur (48.8°C) were among 14 other centres in NW India to have their all-time record temps in the past 2 weeks. This topped India's previous all-time record high for any calendar day of 50.6°C set in Pachpadra on May 25, 1886. In neighbouring Pakistan, extremely high temperatures have also occurred this month. The maximum temperature reached 51.5°C on 19 May 2016 in the city of Jacobabad, just below its all-time record of 52.8°C degrees. The all-time record high in Pakistan is 53.5°C in Mohenjo-daro on 26 May 2010 which is one of the highest temperatures recorded in the world since Tirat Tsvi in Israel reached 53.9°C on 21 June 1942. This place is also near to the ancient city of Jericho where temperatures up to 50.5°C have been recorded.

For interest, Australia's highest official temperature is 50.7°C at Oodnadatta in South Australia on 2 January 1960 and the last 50 degree temperature in the country was 50.5°C at Mardie Station in Western Australia on 19 February 1998.