The 2010 heat wave: 7 excruciating climate records

This year is on pace to become the hottest since record-keeping began more than a century ago. Cruel summer weather caused massive droughts in Thailand and Israel, and killed hundreds in India. Russia's worst heat wave in 130 years sparked deadly wildfires and left thousands dead across the country. Some scientists have called the mercury-busting highs the "best evidence yet" for global warming. Are they right? Here is a look at some of the record-breaking temperatures from across the globe:

1. An all-time record high in Los Angeles

97 degrees is nothing compared to September 28. That day, downtown L.A. registered at 113 degrees, besting the old mark of 112 set in 1990.

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2. Houston's hottest month ever

While Houston's residents are used to hot days, they've never seen heat like this, with an average temperature of 87.8 degrees in August, a new record for the hottest month in the city's history.

3. A new all-time high in Asia

Temperatures in Pakistan's ancient city of Mohenjo-daro reached a scorching 129 degrees on June 1, marking the hottest weather ever recorded in Asia, and the fourth-highest temperature in history.

4. An unprecedented heat wave in Russia

With smoke from burning peat-bogs clogging the muggy air, the heat in Moscow on August 6 broke the "psychological barrier" of 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Record heat in Sudan

While searing weather is common in Sudan, the 121-degree temperature recorded on June 25 in the city of Dongola was the hottest the country has ever seen. The previous record was set in 1987.

6. New all-time highs in the Middle East

U.S. troops in Iraq endured some of the most intense heat of the summer. The mercury hit a blistering 125.6 degrees Fahrenheit in July, the highest temperature ever recorded in the country.

7. The hottest month in world history — four times in a row

June 2010 was the warmest month ever recorded on planet Earth. The previous mark had been set in May. The mark before that had been set in April. The one before that in March. Sense a trend?

Sources: Guardian, AOL News, AccuWeather, BBC, NBC, Wall St. Journal, New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times

This article was originally published on August 9, and republished, with additions, on September 28