Iraq’s Nasiriyah records world's highest temperature at 48.7°C

The Iraqi city of Nasiriyah has recorded the world's highest temperature in the past 24 hours, reaching a scorching 48.7°C (119.7°F), according to data from the American Placerville station index.

The Nasiriyah News Network reported that the Placerville station's data showed 15 cities worldwide registering extremely high temperatures due to climate change effects.

Nasiriyah topped the list, followed closely by Basra, another Iraqi city, which recorded 48°C (118.4°F).

This extreme heat event highlights the increasing impact of global warming on regions already prone to high temperatures.

Iraq, particularly its southern regions, has been experiencing more frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years with several cities in the country and neighbouring Iran and Kuwait recording record temperatures.

Local authorities have not yet commented on any measures being taken to address this extreme weather event or to protect vulnerable populations from the heat.

Earlier on September 6, power grids across the Middle East faced unprecedented strain this summer, according to new data from the region.

Throughout the summer, Iraq has been urging residents to turn down their air conditioning units with record temperatures recording in Basra and in nearby Kuwait throughout the hot summers.

Baghdad has moved to rectify its failing infrastructure with negotiations with French Total for the construction of new power plants adding an extra 1,000 MW to the local grid to offset the increasing demand.

Mahdi Salih Mathkour, director general of the Southern Electricity Production Company, met with TotalEnergies representatives to review preparations for the solar power plant project in Basra's Artawi region, according to a ministry statement.

Iran's electricity demand has surged to unprecedented levels this summer, reaching nearly 80,000 megawatts (MW) and straining the country's power grid, officials said to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

The Republic’s state-run power company Tavanir reported that on August 8, electricity consumption peaked at 79,872 MW - about 10% higher than the same period last year — while the country and major cities faced increasingly long black and brownouts through the period.

At least one weather station in the south of the country on the Gulf reached a heat index of 82.2°C (180°F) and a dew point of 36.1°C (97°F), which, if confirmed, would be the highest such readings ever recorded on Earth.