or thereabouts

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Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8 • Morocco Overland 3 • Overlanders Handbook 2 • Twit

Wow!it's only a chilly 36 here

That's impressive, but for comparing with other sites it's important to differentiate between shade and sun temps; also between ground and air. Official temperature readings are taken in full shade, with free air movement around the device, a certain distance off the ground, and far from heat absorbers/emitters like pavement or concrete.

The temp indicated in Chris' photo would constitute an all-time world record if it conformed to the rules. It doesn't. But record or not, I'm glad I'm here and not there.

Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story(post)

It's always a great idea to locate temperature gauges in direct sunlight.

Temperatures are certainly high in Morocco at the moment, an accurate measurement would probably be around 42-43ºC. At temperatures over 40ºC you have to ride with a closed visor otherwise it's like riding into a hair dryer.

At 57ºC hundreds of people would be dying. The important temperature, though, is the night time low which in the Zagora area is currently a distinctly hot and stuffy 28ºC, thus preventing the 'reset' that the body needs to cope with high temperatures.

Such lack of night time respite was one of the reasons for the ~15,000 deaths in France during the 2003 heat wave (estimated 70,000 deaths throughout Europe). Normally, locals would have windows wide open at night to let the cool air chill the house, then with dawn the windows would be closed together with curtains or shutters to keep the air cool. This couldn't happen in 2003.

The wikipedia article makes chilling (sic) reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heat_wave

The worst place to be in a heat wave is a city as these are typically 'urban heat islands' due to excessive energy consumption (e.g. air conditioners, cars), concrete construction materials instead of vegetation, large areas of asphalt, and population density. This is why Marrakech holds the all-time official high temperature for Morocco of 49.4ºC.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Back in the late 80s Fahud oilfield in Oman was in the Guinness Books of Records as the hottest place on Earth where men worked.
the Land Rover Def was the default oilfield vehicle and because the AC was utter crap and still is,everyone went to work in their underpants and a pair of cotton overalls with all the windows down,the ACOff and sunglasses to stop your eyes from drying out.
a few years later Toyota LCs had replaced the LR and everyone's life became easier...we even smelt better