Iraq swelters under baking sun

Baghdad - Iraq's state-run Meteorological Department says it has registered the record hottest day so far this year, with maximum temperatures hitting 53.9°C in the southern city of Basra.

Weather forecaster Nagham Mohammed expected temperatures on Saturday to hover around 49°C in Basra and to decline in the coming days. Mohammed added that temperatures in Baghdad are expected to reach 45°C.

Weather historian, Christopher C Burt, with the private Weather Underground, said Basra's temperature is the second hottest "ever reliably measured on Earth" following the 54°C registered in Kuwait the same day.

Temperatures on Wednesday soared to 51°C in Baghdad and as much as 53°C in Basra.