Khbarani - The highest temperature rates in Iraq for this year were recorded, reaching 49 degrees Celsius in two southern provinces, according to the Iraqi Meteorological Authority.
Weeks before the summer season, the provinces of Basra and Maysan (south) registered 49 degrees Celsius compared to 48 degrees in the neighboring Dhi Qar province, according to the authority.
The official spokesperson of the Iraqi Meteorological Authority, Amer Al-Jabri, stated that 49 degrees Celsius "is the highest temperature recorded so far in Iraq this year," noting that the temperature was relatively good in May last year.
The temperature reached 44 degrees Celsius last Tuesday in the capital Baghdad, and it is expected to rise to 46 degrees this coming Friday.
In Iraq, temperatures exceed 50 degrees during the summer, especially in July and August, and sometimes reach these levels in earlier months.
Iraq is among the five countries most affected by some aspects of climate change according to the United Nations, and the decreased rainfall rates, droughts, and dust storms contribute to exacerbating the heat in the country.
Iraq witnessed several sand and dust storms in the recent weeks, the severest of which led to more than 3700 people suffering from suffocation being admitted to hospitals on April 14th in central and southern Iraq.
Every summer, the struggle with long power outages recurs, and many families resort to using electric generators, while having air conditioning in homes becomes a luxury in a country rich in oil but suffering from deteriorated infrastructure.
