Temperatures to hit 48 C in the south as heat holds before another climb

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s hot to extremely hot weather will hold through Saturday before climbing again from Sunday, the General Authority for Meteorology said Wednesday, with highs of 48°C forecast in the south.

The worst of the heat falls in the southern governorates: Maysan is expected to reach 48°C on Thursday, Basra and Dhi Qar 47°C, and Baghdad, Wasit, Diyala, Muthanna, Najaf, Diwaniyah and Babil 46°C. The north stays comparatively cooler, at 40°C in Duhok and Sulaymaniyah, 42°C in Erbil and 43°C in Nineveh. Days will be harshest around midday, with some relief in the early morning and overnight.

Northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 km/h are forecast to strengthen after noon, gusting to 45 km/h in parts of central and southern Iraq and the west, and stirring dust over desert roads and highways. Visibility should hold at 8 to 10 km in most areas, dropping to 4 to 6 km where dust develops. Skies stay mostly clear through Saturday, with the winds picking up again by day on Thursday and Friday, before temperatures start rising once more on Sunday.