Kurdistan Region Forecasts Cooler Temperatures as Dust Builds Across Iraq
Temperatures are forecast to fall slightly across the Kurdistan Region, while central Iraq is expected to see dust and wider cooling later this week.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Temperatures are expected to ease across the Kurdistan Region over the coming days, while central Iraq is forecast to experience dusty conditions later this week as the country begins a gradual transition toward cooler autumn weather.
The Kurdistan Region's General Directorate of Meteorology and Seismology issued its 48-hour forecast on Tuesday, Sept. 15, predicting mostly clear conditions accompanied by a slight decline in temperatures.
Skies are expected to remain clear during Tuesday before becoming partly cloudy over mountainous areas in the evening.
Winds will be light to moderate at between 10 and 20 kilometers per hour, while visibility is forecast to range from nine to 10 kilometers.
Temperatures are expected to fall slightly before remaining broadly stable on Wednesday.
For Wednesday, Sept. 16, the directorate forecast a high of 37 degrees Celsius in Erbil, while Pirmam is expected to reach 34 degrees and Sulaimani 35.
Halabja is forecast at 37 degrees, Chamchamal at 38 and Duhok at 36.
Zakho and Akre are both expected to reach 37 degrees, while Garmian will remain considerably hotter at 41.
The mountain resort area of Haji Omeran is expected to record the coolest temperature among the locations listed, with a forecast high of 24 degrees Celsius.
The Iraqi Meteorological Organization, meanwhile, forecast clear skies across much of the country on Wednesday and Thursday.
Conditions are expected to begin changing on Friday, Sept. 18, when skies in southern Iraq could become partly cloudy during the afternoon.
Dust is also forecast to develop across central parts of the country later Friday, accompanied by a decline in temperatures.
The cooling trend is expected to become more widespread on Saturday, with temperatures forecast to fall nationwide.
Despite the expected change, much of central and southern Iraq will remain very hot on Wednesday.
Baghdad, Diyala and Karbala are each forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius, while Anbar is expected to record 41 degrees and Kirkuk 40.
Wasit, Babil and Najaf are forecast at 43 degrees, with Diwaniyah and Muthanna reaching 44.
The highest temperatures are expected in Iraq's southern provinces, where Maysan, Dhi Qar and Basra are each forecast to reach 45 degrees Celsius.
The figures illustrate the temperature contrast between the Kurdistan Region's mountainous areas and the hotter central and southern provinces.
Weather authorities said the expected changes come during a seasonal transition period.
September typically marks the gradual shift in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region from the intense heat and dry conditions of summer toward the milder temperatures associated with autumn.
The month can also bring rapid changes in wind direction and temperature, producing periods of dust in some parts of the country.
For the Kurdistan Region, the immediate forecast remains comparatively stable, with mostly clear skies and only a modest cooling trend.
Central Iraq, however, is expected to see a more noticeable change by Friday as dust develops and temperatures begin to ease.
By Saturday, weather authorities expect the decline in temperatures to extend across Iraq as a whole, although southern provinces are likely to remain significantly warmer than the Kurdistan Region.