The different types of clouds signify about the condition of the day. Cirrus clouds mean you can enjoy a pleasant day at your favorite beach or have some fun mountain trailing with your friends. However, when you see a stratus cloud, expect a little rain or sometimes a little snow. With the help of weather forecasters, we become aware of when to do our outdoor activities, and we can prepare ourselves at the same time, especially when strong typhoons are coming or when a massive tornado hit a city. Our knowledge about the weather is essential as it makes us more cautious and be safe from the danger of these natural phenomena.
However, some places are always visited by strange and extreme weather conditions; let us find out when and why.
Yakutsk, Russia – World’s Coldest City
With an annual temperature of -8.8º C, Yakutsk, in Russia’s Sakha Republic, is considered the world’s coldest city. Although the city experiences several warm months in summer and temperatures can exceed 30º C and things thaws, the city is hugely built on permafrost. During long winter, the temperature drops below -40º C during December and January. The coldest temperature reached -64.4º C.
People in the city barely go out, but if they do, they need plenty of insulated clothing. They keep their vehicles running when they need to use them to prevent the battery from dying due to freezing temperatures.
The exhaust of vehicles, factory smog, and even residents’ breath creates an ethereal haze that cloaks the city throughout the season.
World’s Hottest Places
Kuwait City has an annual average high temperature of 34.3º C, but during June, July, and August, average highs reach 45-47º C. Exceptionally, Sulaibya set the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Asia at 53.8º C. You would wonder how the 2.4 million citizens can stand the blistering heat and sandstorms that plague this middle eastern capital city each year.
In summer, the Kuwaitis beat the heat by spending much time at the beach and visiting “Aqua Park” or hanging out at “The Avenues,” the city’s largest shopping mall.
The scorching temperatures are deadly; that is why the government imposes an outdoor work ban in June through August from 11 am to 4 pm. However, the ban is hardly enforced for foreign workers who make up nearly a third of Kuwait’s population.
Fortaleza (Brazil)Tourists love its long white beaches and beautiful boulevards that make Fortaleza a wonderful place for a holiday. However, conditions can be quite challenging as proximity to the equator gives it a constant, very high temperature throughout the year. In the northern hemisphere, winter occurs the most extreme conditions, with the hottest ever measured was at 34 °C with a relative humidity of 56%, resulting in an 85.7 kJ enthalpy.
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
The city of Jeddah on the western coast of Saudi Arabia and is the second-largest city in the kingdom has a searing hot climate with rain vanishingly rare. The good thing is that the city’s position on the Red Sea shore makes the temperatures not as high as further inland. Still, relative humidity is much greater with a high temperature of 36°C, and relative humidity of 60% gives an enthalpy peak of 98.1 kJ.
Aswan, Egypt – World’s Driest City
With less than a millimeter of rainfall every year, Aswan is considered the world’s driest city. Despite a scarcity of precipitation, access to water is not an issue because Aswan is on the Nile River, and just south of the city, you can find the world’s largest rock-filled dam (High Dam, or commonly referred to as the Aswan Dam), which creates one of the world’s largest humanmade bodies of water, Lake Nasser.
“Aswan” is an old Nubian word that roughly translates “too much water,” and it was named due to the Nile River’s flood cycle.
Wellington, New Zealand
Lies near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait, Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city that encompasses a waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbor, and colorful timber houses on surrounding hills.
Due to its notoriously intense weather patterns, it is commonly known by the nickname Windy Wellington as it is recognized as the windiest city in the world. Heavy gusts barrage its streets all year round.
Mawsynram
This town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in northeastern India, 60.9 kilometers from Shillong, receives the highest rainfall in India and is recognized as the world’s wettest by the Guinness Book of Records.
The average annual rainfall reaches 11,871mm – more than ten times the Indian national average of 1,083mm.
Glen Etive, Scotland
The stunning Glen in the Scottish Highlands receives heavy rainfall all year round and is also regularly cited as one of the UK’s wettest places that reaches an average of 3.3 meters of rainfall. The region is notable, with several famous white-water kayaking spots that have featured even in several big-budget movies such as Braveheart and Skyfall. Meanwhile, click the following link to read a Go-to Guide to Buying a Personal Weather Station.