Iraq heat intensifies Tuesday with Dhi Qar forecast to reach 50 C

BAGHDAD — Iraq will remain hot to extremely hot Monday, with temperatures staying near Sunday’s levels before rising Tuesday, when Dhi Qar is forecast to reach 50 degrees Celsius, the General Authority for Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring said.

The authority said skies would be clear across most of the country Monday, with some clouds appearing intermittently over eastern areas and increasing at night to produce partly cloudy conditions.

Daytime temperatures will remain highest around midday, while early mornings and nighttime hours are expected to be relatively milder.

Monday’s forecast shows a high of 49 C in Dhi Qar, 48 C in Basra and Maysan, 47 C in Karbala, Najaf and Muthanna, and 46 C in Baghdad, Babil, Wasit and Diwaniyah.

Farther north, Kirkuk, Nineveh, Diyala and Salah Al-Din are forecast at 45 C, Erbil and Anbar at 44 C, Sulaymaniyah at 43 C and Duhok at 42 C.

Northwesterly winds are expected at 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, while western parts of central Iraq and eastern sections of the north could experience periods of lighter, variable winds.

Horizontal visibility is expected to remain very good at 8 to 10 kilometers.

Temperatures are forecast to rise slightly Tuesday, with Dhi Qar reaching 50 C, Basra and Maysan 49 C, Najaf and Muthanna 48 C, and Baghdad, Babil, Karbala, Wasit and Diwaniyah 47 C.

Mostly clear to partly cloudy conditions are expected to continue through Friday, with temperatures remaining high across the country.