The heat index and corresponding dew point of 36.1°C may be among the world’s highest ever recorded, if confirmed. On August 28, the weather station at the Dayrestan Airport recorded a heat index of 82.2°C, suggesting that temperatures in a village off the southern coast of Iran may have reached dangerous levels this week.
A dew point of 36.1 °C and a heat index of 36.1 °C could be among the highest ever recorded for this type of temperature.
As indicated by records kept up with by the US’s Public Weather conditions Administration, which gathers information from the METAR (the aerodrome routine meteorological report utilized by flying pilots and meteorologists) Worldwide readings, the Dayrestan Air terminal weather conditions station recorded a temperature of 38.8°C at 10.30am on August 28.
The temperature is not as alarming when seen by itself. However, when combined, they produce the HI, or “feels like,” temperature of 82.2°C with a relative humidity of 85%. In dry places, where the humidity is likely to be lower, temperatures are typically recorded at higher levels.
In dry weather, the body actually feels cooler. To cool down, the body begins to sweat or perspire when it gets too hot. The body’s temperature is effectively lowered when perspiration is evaporated. The body cannot regulate its temperature if the sweat cannot evaporate.
Therefore, when the relative humidity (RH) is higher, the human body feels warmer. Heatstroke is linked to prolonged exposure to temperatures between 40 and 54 degrees Celsius. Dew point, in the interim, is the temperature point at which the air can hold no more water (water fume).
A heat wave has blanketed much of West Asia in recent weeks, with temperatures reaching 50°C, although the records have not yet been verified. Last month, similar conditions necessitated reducing the hours of operation at various facilities and directing all government and commercial establishments to close on Sunday to conserve energy, as hundreds waited in line for heatstroke treatment at hospitals.
Experts predict that heatwaves will likely get longer and more frequent in response to the August 28 record, which serves as a dire warning for the worsening conditions in the Global South.
“In many regions of the world, summers are becoming much hotter, increasing the risk of heatwaves, fires, and droughts, as winters are becoming much wetter, increasing the risk of devastating floods,” Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London, stated in an interview with HT on April 22.
