Persian Gulf heat

[Gibli]

The summer heat is reaching its peak at the northern end of the Persian Gulf with maximum temperatures exceeding 50C and minimums of 30 to 33C. Dew points are around 30C on the coast at times with some dramatic changes in humidity as the sea breezes push inland at times. A selection of the highest maximums, with the date, reported in the last few days :

Kuwait

51.9 at Abdaly (27th)

50.9 at Abdaly (28th)

49.9 at Kuwait Airport (28th)

50.4 at Al Wafra (27th)

Iran

50.2 at Abadan

Saudi Arabia

51.0 at Dhahran (28th)

Iraq

49C at Basra, from the Metar reports today

48C at Baghdad from Metar reports

49C at Tallil from Metar reports

Gibli

[johnholmes]

its difficult to comprehend a temperature in excess of 50C

132F !!

[mezzacyclone]

Not embarking on a trumpet blowing exercise by any means but theirs an unofficial guideline where temps exceeding 50'C are actually recorded UNDER the value due to H&S reasons, different requirements are in force where for example guard duty wihtin HM Forces falls under different guidelines when the temps exceed 50'C so the offical temps are recorded under that value, regardless how much over that level they may reach.

I observed mid 50's in the shade in Basrah 2 years ago during August with a digital temp gauge that eventually failed, NOT nice,

Air conditioners preserve life in itself.

Edited July 29, 2007 by mezzacyclone

[Turnedoutniceagain]

The summer heat is reaching its peak at the northern end of the Persian Gulf with maximum temperatures exceeding 50C and minimums of 30 to 33C. Dew points are around 30C on the coast at times with some dramatic changes in humidity as the sea breezes push inland at times. A selection of the highest maximums, with the date, reported in the last few days :

Kuwait

51.9 at Abdaly (27th)

50.9 at Abdaly (28th)

49.9 at Kuwait Airport (28th)

50.4 at Al Wafra (27th)

Iran

50.2 at Abadan

Saudi Arabia

51.0 at Dhahran (28th)

Iraq

49C at Basra, from the Metar reports today

48C at Baghdad from Metar reports

49C at Tallil from Metar reports

Gibli

They deserve it . Price of petrol these days...blah blah.... :lol:

[PersianPaladin]

its difficult to comprehend a temperature in excess of 50C

132F !!

Put your hand in an oven.

[Gibli]

<<Not embarking on a trumpet blowing exercise by any means but theirs an unofficial guideline where temps exceeding 50'C are actually recorded UNDER the value due to H&S reasons . . . . . . . >>

Can't comment on implied false Iraq temperature reporting, but its unlikely H & S are prominent in Kuwait. Apart from the Airport, all the Kuwaiti stations are automatic reports, so difficult to see how they can be 'doctored'. Kuwait Airport and nearby Abadan (Iran) reported occasional 50C+ maximums at this time of the year long before Iraq was occupied/liberated. Still hot in Kuwait yesterday with reported maxima:

40550 / Abdaly 50.7

40582 / Airport 50.2

40592 / Al Wafra 50.9

Several other 48 to 49C maximums and 50.0 at Dhahran (Saudi).

Gibli

[johnholmes]

<<Not embarking on a trumpet blowing exercise by any means but theirs an unofficial guideline where temps exceeding 50'C are actually recorded UNDER the value due to H&S reasons . . . . . . . >>

Can't comment on implied false Iraq temperature reporting, but its unlikely H & S are prominent in Kuwait. Apart from the Airport, all the Kuwaiti stations are automatic reports, so difficult to see how they can be 'doctored'. Kuwait Airport and nearby Abadan (Iran) reported occasional 50C+ maximums at this time of the year long before Iraq was occupied/liberated. Still hot in Kuwait yesterday with reported maxima:

40550 / Abdaly 50.7

40582 / Airport 50.2

40592 / Al Wafra 50.9

Several other 48 to 49C maximums and 50.0 at Dhahran (Saudi).

Gibli

yes agree with your comment, I see no reason to doubt the reported temperatures

[mezzacyclone]

Not doubting any temps here John, Perhaps i should have portrayed the unofficial guideline as bit of a grey area?, the Flt ltnt at MNDSE HQ advised of this and he seemed a no-nonsense kind of chap? Is this a case of MOD poop in your experience John? or excuses to avoid prolonged Duty in extreme conditions? whatever gives i'm sure +50'C temps are widespread across the regions named and common from Jul-Aug.

[johnholmes]

can't comment about, 'MOD poop' as you put it as its 12 years since I had anything to do with the military.

[SnowBear]

Is this a case of MOD poop in your experience John? or excuses to avoid prolonged Duty in extreme conditions?

I think those comments need some sort of explanation as to what you are implying there. I dare say there might be some met type people in the MOD possibly cooking the figures at unofficial weather stations to the MOD advantage, but that's because they are possibly being told to by higher ranks?? But to question whether John has, who I believe was doing weather for the RAF? You don't give false figures for the RAF, especially when you are talking about millions of pounds worth of aircraft, which, if you give a bad or false figures and forecast, could mean the difference to the return of the pilot and aircraft, and possibly not. Accuracy is important for the success of missions, cooked data will bring much less success yes? And I would say the same goes for infantry, if half your men go down with heat stroke or worse because data is cooked, then you then have a bigger problem than if you had shortened guard duty times and made a better rota.

The other thing to realise is probably there are higher temperatures being found in urban areas, if the local reporting station is on the outskirts of a town or city, it could be up to possibly 5 or more degrees lower then in the town or city centre where heat gets trapped and reflected so the local Army met could say it is 50c in the compound on the outskirts of the city, yet in the city centre, its 54c.

[johnholmes]

in a pretty long time working with the RAF I knew of NO ONE in Met who ever dreamt of 'cooking' figures let alone actually doing it.

[mezzacyclone]

I think those comments need some sort of explanation as to what you are implying there.

I feel i should have started with, quote: it is alleged,,,,,:unquote :lol:

I indicated un-explicitly and merely repeated what i was told regarding that temps were, quote: known to be juggled :unquote just under the 50 mark, for a, quote: number of reasons :unquote.

If iv'e come across 'untoward' with my comment then please detail further and can try to explain more but i'm merely phrasing what i was informed of, if their is no, quote: un-official guideline :unquote in the forces then im a "craphat" for listening to false info i suppose?

and I'm afraid that theirs far more dodgy going-offs in the forces ranks these days John than, what now seems, triviality as in: cooking figures. A fair few ex Para-reg PSD's in the gulf will no doubt assure you of that!

Back on topic anyone?

[johnholmes]

I have no knowledge first hand or other of ex paras but I do have knowledge first hand of RAF in the front line and NO One juggles figures, just take my word for it.

Also when you use acronyms please explain, for instance PSD's and others you have used.

It may be obvious to you, just as its obvious to me on many many acronyms in meteorology and within the RAF but to the majority on here, your acronyms and any I might use mean nothing!

Re your figures are juggled

Take this scenario

RAF Tristar, take off expected with temp prediction of 42C, IF he believes it, pilot works out take off run, safety factor etc etc, is given just prior to take off, temp is actually 50C. So what, not that much different, so he continues with his flight, or rather attempted flight!

IF he was daft enough to accept that without querying then the number of fatalities in Iraq/ Middle East ops would be many many times that which it sadly is at the moment.

Edited July 31, 2007 by johnholmes

[MAF]

Not embarking on a trumpet blowing exercise by any means but theirs an unofficial guideline where temps exceeding 50'C are actually recorded UNDER the value due to H&S reasons, different requirements are in force where for example guard duty wihtin HM Forces falls under different guidelines when the temps exceed 50'C so the offical temps are recorded under that value, regardless how much over that level they may reach.

I observed mid 50's in the shade in Basrah 2 years ago during August with a digital temp gauge that eventually failed, NOT nice,

Air conditioners preserve life in itself.

i remember when i worked for the Royal Engineers we serviced some of the air con containers and they certainly give much needed relief. those temps are certainly beyond anything i could imagine though.

in a pretty long time working with the RAF I knew of NO ONE in Met who ever dreamt of 'cooking' figures let alone actually doing it.

i agree

i certainly know first hand that the working temps of the equipment we use out there now is critical and therefore temp recordings have to be accurate

[Cookie]

The summer heat is reaching its peak at the northern end of the Persian Gulf with maximum temperatures exceeding 50C and minimums of 30 to 33C. Dew points are around 30C on the coast at times with some dramatic changes in humidity as the sea breezes push inland at times. A selection of the highest maximums, with the date, reported in the last few days :

Kuwait

51.9 at Abdaly (27th)

50.9 at Abdaly (28th)

49.9 at Kuwait Airport (28th)

50.4 at Al Wafra (27th)

Iran

50.2 at Abadan

Saudi Arabia

51.0 at Dhahran (28th)

Iraq

49C at Basra, from the Metar reports today

48C at Baghdad from Metar reports

49C at Tallil from Metar reports

Gibli

I cant ever imagine how the hot must be. highest I've know is 35oC and that was when I was liveing down south.

the we struggle to get days above 25oC on lewis

[frozen_north]

I've experienced temperatures up to 46C in Eilat in Israel and I'll tell you its not nice being out for long in those sorts of temperatures. But its dry heat so you dont sweat that much and it isnt that bad when your sitting in the shade. Although you have to drink constantly and you just feel energy being sapped away from you. On the plus side it makes 30C feel cold. But you have to comfortable in temperatures of around 35C first before you want to go to one of these places or else its just too much to cope with coming straight from the UK.

[eddie]

I've experienced temperatures up to 46C in Eilat in Israel and I'll tell you its not nice being out for long in those sorts of temperatures. But its dry heat so you dont sweat that much and it isnt that bad when your sitting in the shade. Although you have to drink constantly and you just feel energy being sapped away from you. On the plus side it makes 30C feel cold. But you have to comfortable in temperatures of around 35C first before you want to go to one of these places or else its just too much to cope with coming straight from the UK.

I have only experienced near 50C temperatures once and that was also near Eilat. It's really not an experience I would care to repeat either. 2 or 3 hours outside in that heat with no water could easily kill you. A simple 1km round trip to a shop and back left my partner and I exhausted for the rest of the afternoon despite the fact we regularly climb mountains in this country.

It's so dry that your sweat evaporates instantly which can be quite dangerous becuase you don't realise how much fluid you are loosing. The tour people made a big deal of warning us to drink water at set intervals even if we weren't thirsty.