Iraq stays very hot this week with a midweek dip and dust

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s hot to very hot weather will hold this week under a seasonal thermal low, with a slight dip in temperatures midweek before the heat builds again by Friday, the General Authority for Meteorology said Monday.

Monday and Tuesday stay very hot in the afternoons, near recent levels, with milder nights, the authority said. Northwesterly winds strengthen at times on Tuesday, reaching 40 km/h in the east and south and raising dust. On Wednesday, temperatures ease slightly in central and southern Iraq while holding steady in the north, with winds gusting to 45 km/h and stirring dust and sand, particularly over desert areas and highways.

Conditions stay stable Thursday, still breezy with light dust, before temperatures edge up again Friday under clear skies and lighter winds. The authority warned that visibility on desert roads and highways could fall to 5 to 7 km where blowing dust develops.