This Iranian city might have just suffered through the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth

Iranian desert.
(Image credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

The Iranian city of Ahvaz, home to 1.1 million people, might have tied the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth on Thursday, The Washington Post reports.

The hottest reliably measured temperatures on Earth were in Mitribah, Kuwait, on July 21, 2016, and Death Valley, California, on June 30, 2013, both reaching 129.2 degrees. The Weather Underground indicates Ahvaz reached 129.2 degrees twice on Thursday, at 4:51 p.m. and 5 p.m., although the temperature still needs to be officially verified by the World Meteorological Organization.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.