Heat in Typically Hot Middle East Goes Extreme

August 1, 2002
By Aladin Abdel Naby

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Summertime is supposed to be hot in the Mideast. But there's hot, and then there's hot.

Power systems are straining under the burden of air conditioners running day and night. Among a population accustomed to torrid temperatures, people are getting sick from the heat, some have died.

"May God make every day a winter day," said Ahmed Abdel Hamid as he stood under the blistering sun Tuesday filling bottles with water for his car.

The recent heat stroke deaths of five laborers in the United Arab Emirates prompted authorities to issue repeated warnings to limit time in the sun. Hospitals and clinics across the Emirates are reportedly receiving increasing numbers of patients suffering from heat stroke, dehydration, drowsiness and heat cramps.

The Emirates weather department said the average temperature during June and July has been above the normal average of 106. Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital, hit 115.

According to Bahrain's weather department, temperatures in June and July have been above the 99-degree average, at times climbing to 111. Factoring in humidity, which as risen to 80%, the temperature felt like 129.

Bahrain, which is spending millions to upgrade its electricity grid, has suffered a spate of power cuts.

In Oman, temperatures soared to above 129 for the first time in 12 years. Normal high temperature this time of the year is 113, according to the Omani weather department.

Water coolers — not heaters — are a bathroom fixture in Kuwait. Otherwise, because household water stored in rooftop tanks heats up under the sun, refreshing showers would be impossible. The high temperature was forecast at 116 Tuesday.

In Jordan, the meteorology department forecast 99 in the capital, Amman, and as high as 109 in desert regions and in the southern Red Sea port of Aqaba. Meteorology head Haitham al-Shaer said temperatures were four to six degrees above normal and that similar highs have not been recorded in several years.

Children played in a fountain in their shorts or underwear in a downtown Amman square Tuesday. Juice shops were crammed. The ministries of agriculture and health urged farmers to shelter their animals. Citizens were warned to stay out of the sun and to drink plenty of water.

In neighboring Iraq, the temperature in Baghdad Tuesday was 118. The summer heat has been aggravated by almost daily electricity cuts all over country. Ice cream parlors were popular not just for their cooling treats, but because many have their own generators to keep the air conditioning on.

Officials say Egypt's electricity use has increased by as much as 40% since the beginning of July. Power in Damascus, the Syrian capital, was cut for several hours in many parts of the city on Tuesday.

Regardless of the heat, a ticket seller at the pyramids just outside Cairo said Tuesday visitors are still coming.

German tourist Yasmine Voidl, 18, wore a flowing white traditional Arab dress and covered her head in a colorful cloth, Bedouin style, for a visit to the pyramids, saying nothing would stop her from seeing the ancient sights.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2002/2002-07-30-middleeast-heat.htm