Stable weather to prevail in Iraq throughout rest of week

BAGHDAD — Iraq will continue to be affected in the coming days by a high-pressure system centered over Turkey, bringing relatively stable conditions across most of the country, according to the General Authority for Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring.

In a report issued by the authority’s forecasting department, the weather was described as “partly cloudy, turning clear at night” on Monday, with temperatures “rising slightly compared with yesterday in the central and northern regions and remaining close to previous levels in the southern region.”

The report said winds will be “northwesterly, light to moderate,” with speeds ranging between 10 and 20 kilometers per hour, adding that they may “tend toward calm with some fluctuations in western parts of the southern region.” Horizontal visibility is expected to range between 8 and 10 kilometers, but may drop in parts of the northern region during the morning “due to haze formation.”

For Tuesday, the authority forecast “partly cloudy to cloudy conditions in the central and northern regions,” while the southern region is expected to be “clear with some scattered clouds.” Winds are forecast to remain northwesterly and light, with a slight rise in temperatures in central and northern areas.

Conditions on Wednesday are expected to be “clear to partly cloudy in the western sections of the country,” with light northwesterly winds and generally stable temperatures, while Thursday’s forecast points to “clear weather with some clouds in general,” moderate northwesterly winds and little change in temperatures nationwide.

By Friday, the report said the weather will turn “partly cloudy to cloudy in the central and northern regions,” with “a chance of rainfall in the northern region, especially mountainous areas.” Winds are expected to shift from variable to southeasterly and may become active at times, “causing dust to rise in scattered areas,” while temperatures are forecast to be slightly lower in the north and close to previous levels elsewhere.

The authority said calm conditions are expected to persist until midweek before the possibility of rain develops in northern governorates, particularly in mountainous areas, accompanied by intermittent wind activity that could reduce visibility in some locations.