Iranian city swelters under record heat

The Iranian city of Bandar Mahshahr on Friday registered a near record heat index high, as 46- degree heat coupled with a humidity of 90% led one meteorologist to describe the city’s stifling climate as one of the most “extreme readings ever in the world.”

The combination of heat and humidity is what makes what experts classify weather into the heat index - what the temperature actually feels like.

The city of around 100,000 residents, situated in the country’s southwest, is close to the Arabian Gulf. The heat index is higher in Bandar Mahshahr due to winds blowing off the water.

“A strong ridge of high pressure has persisted over the Middle East through much of July, resulting in the extreme heat wave in what many would consider one of the hottest places in the world,” Anthony Sagliani, a meteorologist with U.S.-based monitor AccuWeather said, according to news outlet USA Today.

In the same week, the sweltering temperatures in neighboring Iraq prompted the government to declare a four-day holiday.

The statement, delivered on state-run TV, was the second heat advisory issued by the Iraqi government this month.

High summer temperatures are common in Iraq, but widespread power and water cuts complicate everyday life when the temperatures soar.