Middle East temperatures threaten planetary record

In case there was any question about the world's imminent demise, Thursday and Friday saw the hottest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside of Death Valley. In Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and western Iran, temperatures broke 125 degrees (or 51.6 Celsius); in the town of Mitribah, Kuwait, thermometers rose a smidgen above 129 degrees (or 54 degrees Celsius). Basra, Iraq, which has a population over over a million people, also hit 129.2 degrees on Friday.

If confirmed, the temperatures will be the highest ever recorded in the eastern hemisphere, including all of Asia. A scalding 134.1 degrees remains the planetary record, set in Death Valley in 1913, although some dispute that number.

2015 was the hottest year on record, but scientists say the first half of 2016 has been even hotter.

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