Unprecedented Heat Wave Batters Mideast
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August 7, 2015 19 Environment Jordan: To cool off, a man rides his horse in a water stream south of the ancient Roman ruins of Jerash. (Photo: Nader Daoud) Unprecedented heat wave batters Mideast The Arab Weekly Staff zero and transforming the land- rainfall for nearly two-thirds of its and economic hardships, rendered to households about eight hours a scape with colourful shades of yel- water needs. worse by a refugee influx from the day, but still the government de- low and orange. Hussein Momani, the chief fore- Syrian conflict. clared July 30th and August 2nd Amman “I’ve never seen anything like caster at the Jordan Meteorological In Beirut on the weekend of Au- heat-related public holidays. On this in my life,” whispered puzzled Department (JMD), said it was the gust 2-3, overwhelming heat lim- those days, temperatures hit 56 de- n unusually powerful Amman bookstore owner Ibrahim first time Jordan had received rain ited movement, leaving streets al- grees for the first time in more than heat wave, coupled with Jalad, 49, pointing to the raging in August in 80 years. most deserted. a decade. At night, the temperature unseasonable sand and dust storm as temperatures hit 48 “The instability is caused by low Many Lebanese preferred to stay only dropped to 48. thunder storms, swept degrees Celsius mid-afternoon on pressure accompanied with a heat indoors. If an outing was a must, “It is hell,” complained Jassim across the Middle East, August 2nd. wave from India passing through they headed to air conditioned Kaabi, 38. “You can barely work, disruptingA power and air traffic in the Arabian peninsula,” Momani shopping malls. walk or have the energy to do any- Jordan, forcing Iraq to declare a Jordan’s Civil said, referring to the storm’s route “You cannot breathe outside. I thing.” public holiday and sending people Defence Department through Gulf Arab states. prefer to stay in a closed air-con- Ice-making firms in the southern to the beaches across the region. reported 32 cases of He said the heat wave, which be- ditioned area all day long until this port city of Basra reported a 120% In southern parts of the Levant, gan on July 28th and was predicted wave from hell is over,” Lahoud increase in demand. These busi- including Syria’s capital, Damas- sunstroke and to last until August 6th, reached added. nesses, which sell large chunks of cus, Jordan, Iraq’s vast western dehydration on its peak on August 2nd. That day, In Israel, Iraq, the Palestinian ice to food stores, are common in desert, the Palestinian territories August 2nd alone temperatures on the eastern edge territories, Jordan and Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Libya and other coun- and south-eastern Israel, unusu- of Amman reached 47 degrees, the TV and radio announcements cau- tries plagued with power outages ally strong winds drove enormous Amman’s main international air- highest since 1974 when tempera- tioned people against direct expo- that hamper refrigeration. sandstorms which blanketed cities port diverted at least three incom- tures peaked at 48.8 degrees. sure to the midday sun. Jordan’s and sent frightened people indoors ing flights and delayed the depar- In the Jordan Valley, the coun- Civil Defence Department reported In Iraq temperatures to take cover. ture of scores of others as the storm try’s food basket, temperatures of 32 cases of sunstroke and dehydra- hit 56 degrees C for “Oh my God, this is Armaged- peaked in the late afternoon. 52 degrees were reported. tion on August 2nd alone. don!” exclaimed Amman secretary In eastern Jordan, an unseason- It was slightly cooler in Lebanon, The same day, Syria’s Sweida the first time in more Nadia Rawad, 26, as she aban- able thunderstorm hit the vast where a chain of mountains paral- province, along Jordan’s northern than a decade doned a bank teller machine when desert shared with Iraq’s Anbar lel to the eastern Mediterra- border, health officials treated whistling winds brought towering province. Southern Jordan also nean coast rise more than dozens of cases with breathing In Egypt, the heat was so intense clouds of dust. The storm blocked received rain, but not parched Am- 3,000 metres and see snow problems. that Cairo street hawker Ali Abdul- out the sun, turning visibility to man, which depends on winter for a good part of the year. In Syria, the site of a long civil lah, 13, kept pouring water on his war, power cuts limited elec- head to cool himself off. tricity to four hours a day, half “It is really intolerable,” Abdul- of what is was before the heat lah said of the temperature in the wave. Egyptian capital. “I had really Temperatures, which peaked hoped to stay at home but I had to at 42 degrees on August 2nd, go to the street to earn a living.” were still expected to be in the Many Egyptians, however, re- high 30s — eight to nine degrees mained indoors to escape the Below above the seasonal average — until scorching heat. in Beirut, on August 6th, according to Weather. Egypt, which is usually known the Mediterranean coast, com. for milder weather, is having al- people struggled with Yasser Ali, a resident of the most its worst heat wave in years, water and power outages middle-class Damascus neigh- with temperatures rising to 38 de- caused by damage at the bourhood of Mazzeh, strolled in a grees. To cope with the rising heat, country’s second largest public park with his wife and three people who must be outdoors, like power plant. The tem- children to enjoy the night breeze. Abdullah, are improvising. Some perature hovered around “At home, it feels like being in an have been seen jumping into the 37 degrees but exceeded oven,” Ali said in an area of the cap- Nile from bridges linking Cairo’s 40 in the lower plains of the ital that, like Jordan, was blanketed districts. Younger children were central Bekaa valley. with dust. seen splashing in the cool waters of The Civil Defence force said it In Syria’s northern Raqqa prov- street fountains. had put out several forest fires ince, the Islamic State’s stronghold, driven by hot winds blowing across Syrians flocked to the banks of the Contributed to this report: the country, including big blazes in River Euphrates. Some cooled off JJ Halaby, the Levant section southern Lebanon’s villages of Kfar by swimming in the river and many editor based in Jordan, Samar Kila and Deir Mimas. Syria also re- families spent nights on its banks. Kadi, the Society and Travel ported several large fires. In the Gaza Strip, electricity is section editor in Lebanon, “Even nature is against Lebanon. also available for just four hours a Khalil Hamlo in Syria, Amr A heat wave is all we need. It adds day, making it impossible to stay Emam in Egypt, Linda Maayah in to this country’s misfortunes,” indoors and driving many to sleep Jordan, Omar Hejab in Iraq and complained May Lahoud. She was in the street or on the beach. Saud Abu Ramadan in the Gaza Egypt: Children jump into the Nile in Cairo to escape the heat. referring to Lebanon’s political In Iraq, electricity is available Strip..