Cities across the Middle East are experiencing blistering heatwaves with record breaking temperatures in the regions. Baghdad in Iraq, the worst affected country, recorded its highest and second highest temperatures this week, reaching 125F (51.7C) on Tuesday and half a degree cooler on Wednesday. Maximum temperatures yesterday reached 127.4F (53C) in Amarah in Iraq, just shy of its national record of maximum temperature of 129F (53.9C). The excessive heat is caused by high pressure anchored over the Middle East, drifting west over the Red Sea toward Egypt. The highest recorded air temperature in the past half century was in Kuwait in 2016, where it reached 129.2F (54C).

Source: Daily Mail July 31, 2020 07:59 UTC