Iraq forecasts temperatures of up to 50 C as mercury rises again

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s General Authority for Meteorology forecast temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius on Thursday with hot weather expected across the country.

Dhi Qar is forecast to record the highest temperature at 50 C, according to the authority’s daily weather bulletin. Temperatures are expected to reach 49 C in Basra, Maysan, Diwaniyah, Wasit and Muthanna, 48 C in Najaf and Babil, and 47 C in Baghdad and Karbala.

The authority forecast highs of 46 C in Diyala, 45 C in Salah Al-Din, 43 C in Kirkuk and Anbar, 42 C in Erbil and Nineveh, and 40 C in Sulaymaniyah and Duhok.

The weather will be clear with some clouds in central and northern areas and clear to partly cloudy at times in the south. The authority said there was a chance of scattered rain showers in eastern parts of the country during the evening and night.

Temperatures are expected to fall slightly from Wednesday in central and northern areas and remain close to Wednesday’s levels in the south.

Winds will be light to moderate from the northwest at speeds of 10-20 kilometers per hour, while southeastern parts of southern Iraq will see light to moderate, humid southeasterly winds.

Visibility will generally range from eight to 10 kilometers, falling to between five and seven kilometers in some southern areas because of haze.