A heatwave is hitting Iraq, sending its temperatures to surpass 50 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology said in a statement.
The hottest temperatures of up to 51 degrees Celsius were recorded in the provinces of Baghdad, Najaf, Qadisiyah, Dhi Qar and Muthanna, according to the statement.
It added that northern Iraq reported lower temperatures, with the lowest 44 degrees Celsius recorded in Duhok province.
Iraq regularly witnesses a scorching summer with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, prompting the government to sometimes grant holidays to its institutions, excluding the security forces and medical services.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Iraq was 53.6 degrees Celsius in the southern province of Basra in July 2016, according to Green Iraq, an Iraqi non-governmental environment and climate observatory.
