Latest news with #BasraInternationalAirport
Shafaq News
10-08-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Temperatures top 52°C in Southern Iraq
Shafaq News – Basra On Sunday, weather stations across Iraq recorded soaring temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius in several southern cities. The Basra International Airport area registered the highest temperature at 52.6°C. Al-Nasiriyah followed with 50.7°C, Basra–Al-Hussein station at 50.3°C, Al-Samawah at 50.2°C, and Amara at 50.0°C. Temperatures in other cities ranged from 48.8 °C to 49.6 °C. These included Al-Rifai, Karbala, Kut, Al-Hillah, Al-Diwaniyah, and Ain al-Tamr. Baghdad International Airport recorded 49.2°C. Earlier data from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) highlighted dozens of hotspots across Iraq and nearby areas. The report attributes these anomalies to multiple factors, including wildfires, oil infrastructure operations, seasonal agricultural burns, and other industrial or natural heat sources.
Shafaq News
06-08-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Eight Iraqi locations among hottest in the world
Shafaq News – Baghdad Eight Iraqi cities topped global temperature rankings for the past 24 hours, according to the bulletin of the "Placerville" station in California, USA. Basra International Airport recorded the highest temperature globally at 49.8 degrees Celsius, narrowly surpassing Ahvaz, Iran, at 49.7 degrees and Abadan, Iran, at 49.6 degrees. Other parts of southern Iraq also experienced extreme heat. The Al-Hussein district in Basra reached 49.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Amarah at 49.2 degrees and Ali Al-Gharbi at 49.1 degrees. Kuwait International Airport recorded 48.9 degrees. Additional scorching temperatures were reported in neighboring areas, including Safiabad, Iran, with 48.5 degrees; Al-Nasiriyah , Iraq, at 48.4 degrees; and Badrah, Iraq, at 48.2 degrees. Masjed Soleyman in Iran registered 48.1 degrees Celsius. Saudi Arabia saw similarly high temperatures, with Al-Ahsa reaching 47.7 degrees, Yanbu at 47.0 degrees, and Iraq's Al-Rifai and Kut reporting 47.3 and 47.2 degrees respectively.
Iraqi News
28-07-2025
- Climate
- Iraqi News
Iraq records world's highest temperatures
Baghdad ( – Iraq has led the list of countries with the most extreme temperatures, with some cities in the country experiencing temperatures above half the boiling point in the last 24 hours. Basra International Airport was the hottest spot in the world on July 28, with a temperature of 51.8°C (125.2°F), beating Iran's Abadan city, which came in second at 51.2°C (124.2°F), according to Rudaw News. Iraqi cities filled 11 of the top 15 spots on the highest temperature list, indicating a rising heatwave across the entire country this summer. Figures show that Iraq remains one of the places most vulnerable to extreme weather globally, despite persistent warnings about the effects of s and falling plant cover. Iraq's national meteorological center reported that the country remains affected by an exceptionally hot air mass caused by low surface thermal pressure, which explains the continued high temperatures. The meteorological center denied that temperatures hit 65°C on July 27 and predicted that the heatwave would last until July 29.
Shafaq News
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Drought forces mass exodus in Dhi Qar
Shafaq News – Dhi Qar The worsening drought in southern Iraq's Dhi Qar province has displaced more than 10,000 families, the Green Iraq Observatory revealed on Monday. In a statement, Green Iraq Observatory member Bushra al-Taie said the mass displacement has occurred across rural areas in Dhi Qar, with families fleeing to urban centers in search of water and basic services. Humanitarian efforts by the provincial migration department have included food baskets, electrical appliances, and training programs to help displaced households adapt to their new conditions. The buffalo population (a key livestock for southern Iraq) in the province has sharply declined from 21,000 to just 10,000 over the past two years, al-Taie noted, attributing the losses directly to prolonged water scarcity. Iraq has faced an accelerating water crisis in recent years, driven by declining rainfall, rising temperatures, and upstream dam construction in neighboring countries. Water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—critical lifelines for agriculture and livestock—have reached historic lows. Amid this crisis, Iraq dominated the list of the world's hottest locations in the past 24 hours, with 13 cities making the top 15, according to data from the Placerville weather station in California. Basra International Airport recorded the planet's highest temperature at 50.7°C, followed by Amarah at 50°C, and Basra al-Hussein at 49.9°C. The Iranian city of Abadan ranked fourth with 49.6°C, while Ali al-Gharbi in Iraq came fifth at 49.5°C.
Shafaq News
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Scorching summer drives Iraqis to rivers
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraqis are flocking to rivers across Baghdad and Babil to escape a searing heatwave, as temperatures soar past 49°C in multiple cities. In the capital, residents gather along the Tigris each afternoon despite pollution and safety warnings, seeking relief from the oppressive heat. In Al-Hilla, children from buffalo-herding communities jump into local rivers, splashing beside their animals to cool off under the blazing sun. The country recorded some of the world's highest temperatures on Saturday, according to data from California's Placerville Weather Station. Basra International Airport topped the global list at 49.3°C, followed by Al-Nasiriyah (48.8°C), Amarah and Khanaqin (48.3°C), Najaf, Badrah, and Basra al-Hussein (48.2°C), Al-Kut (Al-Hayy) (47.9°C), Ali al-Gharbi and Karbala (47.8°C), and Al-Rifai (47.7°C). A January 2025 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that Iraq's average summer temperatures are rising rapidly and could reach 60°C in some regions by 2060. Compounding the crisis are weakening cooling winds and intensifying urban heat islands. The effects are far-reaching—public health is strained by heat-related illness, while agriculture suffers from accelerated evaporation and dwindling water supplies in the Tigris and Euphrates. The added pressure on Iraq's fragile power grid from soaring air-conditioning use has triggered blackouts, leaving many to endure dangerous conditions indoors.
