What are the hottest major cities in the world?

Across the globe, hot days are getting hotter and more frequent, though some regions have been hit harder by the soaring temperatures than others.

In the Middle East, residents are used to seeing the mercury rise above the 50°C mark, for a few days at least, in the peak of the summer.

Just last week, temperatures in Kuwait broke the 50°C threshold, making it the hottest place on earth.

Last year in the UAE on an afternoon in early June, residents living in the Sweihan area of Al Ain had to cool off indoors as the temperature soared to 51.8°C.

And nearly 20 years ago to this day in 2002, the UAE’s temperature reached its highest on record - a sweltering 52.1°C.

Recorded inland, away from the breezy coast, weather forecasters were forced to send advisories to residents to take shade and drink plenty of fluids to keep safe during the bout of hot weather.

Heat rising globally

Record-high temperatures in the summer are commonplace now as the atmosphere continues to hold on to increasing amounts of heat. As global warming continues to accelerate at an alarming rate, it isn't likely to change any time soon.

This week, Spain was hit with its first heatwave of the year - and highest temperature for the time of the year in over a decade - when temperatures climbed above 40°C in some areas of the country. And in the UK, a nation usually fraught with grey skies and rain, residents were out in their droves as the mercury rose to the early thirties during the hottest day of the year so far.

Here, The National has listed the top 10 hottest cities around the world as per the recorded temperatures on Thursday at noon local time. Temperatures forecast for the western world were taken into account.

Hottest cities in the world:

Doha, Qatar - 45°C

Kuwait City, Kuwait - 42°C

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 42°C

Lahore, Pakistan - 41°C

Islamabad, Pakistan – 41°C

Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates - 40°C

New Delhi, India – 40°C

Baghdad, Iraq – 40°C

Tashkent, Uzbekistan – 37°C

Kolkata, India - 35°C

source: timeanddate.com

Updated: June 17, 2022, 10:30 AM

Two major cities contend for the title of hottest city in the United States. The city that comes out on top depends on how you measure heat.

Phoenix, Arizona excels at extreme hot weather. It consistently ranks number one for the most days a year when temperatures rise into the 90s or 100s Fahrenheit. It's the only large city to measure over 100 days a year of temperatures in the 100s, and over 150 days a year of at least 90 degrees.

Miami, Florida challenges Phoenix for top spot on hottest year-round temperatures. Miami doesn't normally get 100-degree weather. But the southern Florida city stays hot enough all year to run average temperatures that are slightly above Phoenix's.

These ratings of hottest cities use long-term temperature averages, based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2020 for the US National Centers for Environmental Information. The major cities included in these weather rankings represent the 51 metropolitan areas in the United States with the most people, all those with over one million residents in 2010, according to the US Census Bureau.

Highest Temperatures

Most major cities do get 100–degree temperatures. But for most of them, it's uncommon, typically showing up just one or two days a year. For the cities listed here, temperatures in the 100s happen more often.

Number of days per year when temperature climbs to at least 100 °F (37.8 °C).
CityDays
Phoenix, Arizona 111
Las Vegas, Nevada 78
Austin, Texas 29
Sacramento, California 23
Dallas, Texas 22
Riverside, California 22
San Antonio, Texas 18
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 13
Salt Lake City, Utah 8
Houston, Texas 3
Jacksonville, Florida 3
Kansas City, Missouri 3
Memphis, Tennessee 3
St. Louis, Missouri 3

City links take you to more detailed information on temperatures for that location. You can also view a summary of temperature averages for all major US cities and city temperatures in recent years and a complete list of America's 51 largest urban centers.

Some, cities that rarely, if ever, see a day above 100 degrees do endure a lot of days in the 90s. These cities average 90 or more days a year when the thermometer reaches at least 90 °F.

Number of days per year when temperature climbs to at least 90 °F (32 °C).
CityDays
Phoenix, Arizona 173
Las Vegas, Nevada 137
Austin, Texas 123
San Antonio, Texas 122
Orlando, Florida 111
Dallas, Texas 108
Houston, Texas 101
Riverside, California 101
Jacksonville, Florida 96
Tampa, Florida 94
Miami, Florida 91
Sacramento, California 90

Warmest Climates

Ten major US cities have a daily mean temperature of 70 °F (21 °C) or more.

US cities with the highest daily mean temperature
CityMean °FMean °C
Miami, Florida 77 25
Phoenix, Arizona 76 24
Tampa, Florida 75 24
Orlando, Florida 74 23
Jacksonville, Florida 71 22
Houston, Texas 71 22
New Orleans, Louisiana 71 21
Las Vegas, Nevada 70 21
Austin, Texas 70 21
San Antonio, Texas 70 21

Hottest Days

The hottest US cities have daily high temperatures, averaged throughout the year, that are in the 80s. For Miami, Tampa, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego, that means every day is a least 50 °F, and all but a few days each year are over 60 °F.

Cities with the highest maximum temperature, averaged for a year
CityHigh °FHigh °C
Phoenix, Arizona 87 31
Miami, Florida 84 29
Tampa, Florida 83 28
Orlando, Florida 83 28
Austin, Texas 81 27
Las Vegas, Nevada 81 27
San Antonio, Texas 80 27
Jacksonville, Florida 80 27
Houston, Texas 80 27
Riverside, California 80 26

What are the top 5 hottest cities in the world?

Hottest cities in the U.S..
Death Valley, California. ... .
Ahvaz, Iran. ... .
Dallol, Ethiopia. ... .
El Azizia, Libya. ... .
Oodnadatta, Australia. ... .
Kuwait City, Kuwait. ... .
Which of the hottest cities in the world would you visit? ... .
To plan a trip to any of these destinations, get in touch with a AAA travel counselor at AAA.com/Travel..

What are the top 10 hottest cities?

Heat rising globally.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 42°C..
Lahore, Pakistan - 41°C..
Islamabad, Pakistan – 41°C..
Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates - 40°C..
New Delhi, India – 40°C..
Baghdad, Iraq – 40°C..
Tashkent, Uzbekistan – 37°C..
Kolkata, India - 35°C..

What is the hottest major city in the world?

Islam's holiest city is also the world's hottest city. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is the warmest inhabited place on earth. Its average annual temperature is 87.3 degrees Fahrenheit. In summer, temperatures can reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

What are the 20 hottest cities in the world?

Hottest Places of the World:.
Lytton, Canada (49.6 degrees Celsius).
Dallol, Ethiopia (48 degrees Celsius).
Baghdad, Iraq (51.6 degrees Celsius).
Sweihan, UAE (51.8 degrees Celsius).
Ahvaz, Iran (46 degrees Celsius).
Portland, USA (46 degrees Celsius).
Athens, Greece (43 degrees Celsius).