Environment

Seven Iraqi provinces to experience above 50 degrees Celsius

The Iraqi firefighting authority has issued an advisory for the public to avoid leaving flammable items inside parked cars, among other recommendations.

Kurdistan 24 2023/08/13 11:56

Iraqi youths swim in the Shatt al-Arab waterway at the end of a hot summer day in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, Aug. 11, 2023. (Photo: Hussein Faleh/AFP)

Iraq Iraq Heatwave

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24 ) – Temperatures are forecast to exceed 50°C in seven Iraqi provinces on Sunday, forcing local authorities to take measures to mitigate the heat wave effect, according to government statements.

Most of the provinces that will experience temperatures over 50°C (122°F) are in Iraq’s south, according to a chart released by Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology.

Dhi Qar Governate has announced Sunday as a public holiday and reduced working hours by an hour for the rest of the week due to the intense heat. Diyala Province halved the working hours for a similar reason.

The Iraqi firefighting authority has issued an advisory for the public to avoid leaving flammable items inside parked cars, among other recommendations.

The heat wave is forecast to continue until the end of the week, according to the meteorological office.

Erbil is forecast to experience 48°C (118°F), the highest temperature among the Kurdistan Region’s provinces, per the office.

Iraq is ranked by the United Nations as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change.

Reduced water flow from its twin rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, has made Iraq increasingly vulnerable to water scarcity, which it needs for irrigation and drinking amid the extreme heat and the global food crisis.