The hottest temperatures registered at 14 of the 15 official weather stations in the world were in Iraq today. All reached approximately 110 degrees. At Nasiriya the figure reached just shy of 120 degrees.
Nasiriya is about 225 miles south of Baghdad, along the Euphrates River. It has a population of 560,000 people which makes it Iraq’s fourth-largest city. It is not just hot in Nasiriya. It is dry. The city gets no rain at all most summers–from June through September.
Parts of Nasiriyah occasionally loses power in the hottest part of the year. Last June, hospital ventilators shut down temporarily and electricity to some homes was interrupted.
One of the biggest tests facing Nasiriya is whether at some point it will no longer be habitable. Temperatures of 120 degrees are survivable in some places, particularly based on humidity and availability of water. At 125 degrees, other areas may not support large populations at all.
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