CAIRO, July 28, (Agencies): Intense heatwaves have continued to rage across the Middle East, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in some places, jeopardizing the health of the local population and straining the region’s already overwhelmed power systems. Kuwait was hit by a heatwave since last week, with the highest temperature exceeding 50 degrees Celsius last Thursday, according to the Kuwait Meteorological Department.

The country’s historical record stands at 53.5 degrees Celsius. Government experts have advised citizens to reduce outdoor activities, particularly during high-temperature periods in the midday and afternoon, avoid direct sunlight, ensure adequate hydration by drinking enough water, and be aware of the dangers of heatstroke and related illnesses.

Meanwhile, the government urged residents to conserve electricity to avert power grid overloads, which could lead to blackouts caused by heightened electricity usage.

On Sunday, the Kuwait Meteorology Department forecast very hot daytime weather with light to moderate northwesterly winds, occasionally becoming active at 15-50 km/h, with a chance of dust. At night, the weather will be warm to hot, with northwesterly winds, light to moderate in speed, sometimes reaching 12-45 km/h, and some scattered clouds expected. The anticipated maximum temperature is 47 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature will be 36 degrees Celsius.

The Public Relations and Media Department of the Kuwait Fire Force has urged citizens and residents to exercise caution due to the unstable weather conditions in the country. They emphasized that in case assistance is needed, do not hesitate to call the emergency number 112. In Iran, a heatwave arriving a few days ago raised temperatures in most cities to near and above 40 degrees Celsius. During the past 48 hours, the temperature in the Iranian capital Tehran rose to 40 degrees Celsius during the warmest hours. In southern Iranian provinces, temperatures have approached 50 degrees Celsius since mid- July, with the southwestern Khuzestan Province reaching a staggering 54 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.

Some locations in the Gulf have seen the heat index reach 60 to 65 degrees Celsius. Owing to the continuation of the unprecedented high temperatures, the Iranian government has announced that all state centers, organizations and banks shut down on Sunday in a bid to protect the citizens’ health and manage domestic energy consumption, the official news agency IRNA reported on Saturday. Elsewhere, Iraq has been suffering from scorching heat, with several Iraqi provinces, including Dhi Qar, Maysan, Basra, and Muthanna, witnessing a record temperature of over 50 degrees Celsius in recent days. “It feels like everything is boiling when I go out. I can fry a raw egg outdoors in a few minutes,” Hassan, a Baghdad citizen, told Xinhua. “We try to reduce unnecessary outings, but there are frequent power outages at home, which is really unbearable.”

Temperatures in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad hovered around 45 degrees Celsius this week. During the peak period of electricity consumption in summer, Iraq’s already worn-out power grid has managed to deal with an expanding power gap, further aggravating the shortage of electricity in the country. Late June, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani directed official working hours in public offices to be reduced by one hour through the summer in consideration of the high temperatures experienced throughout the country. According to the Turkish State Meteorological Service, Türkiye experienced its hottest June in the last 53 years with the average temperature across the country was 25.4 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees above the June average from 1991 to 2020.

The highest temperature, reaching 47.8 degrees Celsius, was recorded in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa on June 20, according to the statistics. Egypt is witnessing an intense heat wave since Monday, according to the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, with maximum temperatures reaching 40 degrees in Cairo, and 46 in southern Upper Egypt. On July 21, Earth experienced its warmest day in recent history, with the daily global average temperature reaching a new record high, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Tuesday.

The service reported in early July that last month was the hottest June on record. Scientists said that the heatwaves suggest how human-caused climate change has made life-threatening temperatures more common. As climate change is expected to exacerbate in the coming decades, countries in the Middle East, roasted by extreme and sometimes deadly heat every summer, are among the most severely impacted. Higher temperatures have not only worsened the water scarcity and desertification already facing the Middle East but also driven up energy demand, damaged crop yields, endangered people’s health, and impacted its education sector, as schools resort to shortening school hours and extending holidays to cope with the heat, imposing a significant long-term impediment on the ambitions of the region.