Iraq announces mandatory official holiday due to heat wave

In this photo taken on Saturday, July 29, 2017, people swim in the Shatt al-Arab waterway to beat the heat, near Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq's weather service warned Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 that temperatures will increase next week in most parts of the country, with the highs expected to reach 51 degrees Celsius, or about 124 degrees Fahrenheit, adding to the daily woes of Iraqi citizens already facing a deteriorated security situation and lack of public services. (AP)

In this photo taken on Saturday, July 29, 2017, children swim in the Shatt al-Arab waterway to beat the heat near Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq's weather service warned Thursday that temperatures will increase next week in most parts of the country, with the highs expected to reach 51 degrees Celsius, or about 124 degrees Fahrenheit, adding to the daily woes of Iraqi citizens already facing a deteriorated security situation and lack of public services. (AP)

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi government has announced a mandatory official holiday due to a heat wave.
Wednesday’s late night statement calling for a Thursday holiday came from the Iraqi Cabinet as temperatures hit 50 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit). It is the first heat advisory issued by the government this summer.
The public holiday applies to all government workers.
Last on Thursday, the state-run Meteorological Department warned that temperatures in much of the country would reach as high as 51 degrees Celsius (123.8 Fahrenheit).
Temperatures reached 51 Celsius in Baghdad and as much as 53 degrees Celsius (127.4 Fahrenheit) in Basra last year, prompting the government to announce a two-day mandatory holiday.
The country typically faces brutal heat in the summers and endemic electricity outages make life even harder when temperatures soar.