Extreme Heat and Drought in Middle East

Temperature records have been repeatedly broken in the MENA region in recent years. The highest recorded temperature in the region to date was 129.2 degrees F at Mitribah,Kuwait in 2016. In the same week, Basra in Iraq recorded 128.8 degrees F.

In June 2017, Sweihan, Abu Dhabi reached a record high of 122 degrees F. In Dubai, authorities warned drivers not to leave aerosols in their vehicles after several cars caught fire in the extreme heat.

The region has been subject to an almost continuous drought since 1998, according to NASA, which says the current dry period is the worst for 900 years. The World Bank, which is spending $1.5 billion to fight climate change in the region, estimates that 80-100 million people will be exposed to water stress by 2025.

By 2050, temperatures in the MENA will be 39.2 degrees F or higher, according to Germany’s Max Planck Institute. By the end of the century, daytime highs could reach 122 degrees F, with 200 days of exceptional heat every year. And without urgent action to curb global emissions, according to research, cities in the region may become uninhabitable before 2100.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/middle-east-front-lines-climate-change-mena/