Iran shuts down because of extreme heat

TEHRAN, (Reuters): Iran has announced two days public holidays this week because of “unprecedented heat” and told the elderly and people with health conditions to stay indoors, Iranian state media reported.

Many cities in southern Iran have already suffered from days of exceptional heat. State media reported temperatures had this week exceeded 51 Celsius in the southern city of Ahvaz.

See also: Heatwave brings health warnings as extreme weather grips globe

Government spokesman Ali Bahadori-Jahromi was quoted by state media as saying Wednesday and Thursday would be holidays, while the health ministry said hospitals would be on high alert.

Temperatures are expected to be 39C in Tehran on Wednesday.

Heatwaves have affected large parts of the globe in recent weeks. Scientists have linked them to human-induced climate change.

Climate experts say that last month may have been Earth’s hottest month in thousands of years.

See: July may be hottest month on record: NASA expert

Scientists anticipate that 2024 will be even hotter than 2023, as the El Niño weather pattern, known to boost global temperatures, will likely peak towards the end of this year.

The last El Niño occurred from 2014 to 2016. Global temperature records broke in both of those years, making 2016 the last hottest year on record.

The hottest week in history was recorded as the first week of July 2023.