Summer comes early for Iraq with 49 degrees Celsius in Basra

BAGHDAD — Summer has come early for Iraq this year with temperatures hitting 49 degrees Celsius (topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern city of Basra on Thursday, the national weather centre said.

"It is the highest temperature recorded in Iraq this year," weather centre spokesperson Amer al-Jabiri told AFP.

He said the early heat was in contrast to last year, when the temperature was "relatively good" in May and "it only began to rise in June".

In Iraq, summer temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius, especially in July and August, and sometimes reach these levels earlier.

On Sunday, two cadets died and others were admitted to hospital with heat stroke at a military academy in the southern province of Dhi Qar, authorities said.

The defence ministry said nine cadets "showed signs of fatigue and exhaustion due to sun exposure" while waiting to be assigned to battalions.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the deaths of the two cadets.

Iraq is one of the five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change, according to the United Nations. It has also seen a prolonged drought and frequent dust storms.