Temperatures At 120F And Above In Iraq; Stumbling Electrical Grid Stokes Violence In Record Heat
A sweltering 125 degrees Fahrenheit in Baghdad on Tuesday; a record 115 degrees in Damascus on Wednesday. And extreme levels of heat in Israel and Lebanon. Several countries in the Middle East experienced record high temperatures this week as many marked the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha amid the coronavirus pandemic. The heat wave left cities sweltering in scorching temperatures of 120 degrees (48 degrees Celsius) or more for days, raising concerns it was a sign of future misery under the warming effects of climate change.
Iraq has been hit especially hard, with Baghdad recording its all-time highest temperature on Tuesday, followed by its second hottest day on record on Wednesday. The southern city of Basra also recorded temperatures of 120 degrees and higher for days, with the mercury hitting 122 degrees on Thursday, a temperature also recorded in Amara, in the southeast.
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The heat wave is hitting Iraq as the country struggles with a worsening shortage of electricity, which has pushed people to rely even more on private generators to power refrigerators, air-conditioners and fans. Mr. Hashim said generators were being switched off every few hours because of power cuts, worsening the misery. “The cooler in the house cannot cool the rooms — electricity is a disaster,” he added.
Two protesters were killed by security forces in Baghdad on Monday in demonstrations over the worsening lack of electricity. The killings were the first in months near Tahrir Square, which became a symbol of protests against endemic corruption and foreign interference last year during a monthslong period of unrest.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/world/middleeast/Middle-East-heat-wave.html
