Report for May 25th, hot summer-like weather in South Africa, hot minimum temperature records at high altitudes in the Middle East and South Asia

Record May heat was recorded this weekend in South Africa, a country that is supposed to be on the brink of Southern Hemisphere winter. In Alexander Bay in the far northwest corner of the country along the Atlantic coast, a May record of 39.9°C was reached, along with a record high nightly low temperature of 22.6°C. Further high temperatures are expected this coming week, with temperatures along the Eastern Cape expected to reach 35°C by midweek, with possible temperature records to follow. As seen in the Global Forecast System-based animation below, cooler temperatures are not expected to settle back into South Africa until the beginning of the following week, with a blast of cold air interrupting the heat anticipated on Monday, June 2nd.

Meanwhile in the Middle East, new high nightly temperature records continue to be set, now notably at varying altitudes that are normally resilient to such temperatures. In Bam, Iran, at 1,000 m above sea level, temperatures did not drop below a shocking 32°C. In Al Baha, Saudi Arabia, at 1,700 m above sea level, temperatures at night were no cooler than 25.4°C. These records highlight the changing recent trends in the Middle East with more records of the warmest nights ever seen. Short term heat relief for the area is not expected until the end of May, while longer term relief is not expected until the end of the first week of June according to current climate models.

In Asia, record heat continues in South Asia and the Central Pacific. In the Central Pacific in Indonesia, the record for the hottest May night was broken in Palu with a temperature of 26.8°C. In Pakistan, at a height of 2,000 m above sea level, an astonishing nightly minimum of 18.0°C was recorded in Skardu. While situated in a river valley, Skardu is surrounded by 5,000 m Himalayan mountains on all sides, making a low of 18.0°C a thoroughly impressive nightly record minimum temperature. As for record highs for May in Pakistan, the needle reached 39.0°C in Cherat in the southern rim of the Valley of Peshawar to the north of the country. In the Gilgit-Baltistan region further east in Pakistani Kashmir, a record high for May of 38.9°C was reached. These hot temperatures are not expected to let up for the next several days at the very least, and new records may very well be set in the coming days.

Further north, extreme heat is also being experienced in Siberia. May heat records are being broken this weekend with 32.9°C in Ust Kut and 31.4°C in Preobrazhenka. While Eastern Siberia is no stranger to summer heat, May is still considered a transition period for the region’s weather patterns, and to experience 30°C+ temperatures in the region well ahead of Northern Hemisphere summer is very atypical. The high ground temperatures are aided by high pressures and atmospheric temperatures at heights about 1,500 m above sea level.