Iraq braces for bitterly cold wave, lowest temperatures in over a decade

Shafaq News / Iraq is bracing for an intense cold wave expected to bring the country’s lowest temperatures in over a decade, with forecasts indicating a drop below freezing in central and northern regions, Meteorologist Ali Al-Jaber Al-Ziyadi warned on Friday.

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Al-Ziyadi said, "Weather models indicate that the Middle East, including the Levant, Iraq, and the Gulf, will be affected by a polar-origin low-pressure system. This system, accompanied by rain clouds, is expected to move from the eastern Mediterranean towards Syria and Iraq on February 20, bringing heavy rainfall across various regions. It will be followed by a severe cold wave (Cypriot) stemming from the separation of the polar vortex over the northeastern Atlantic. However, its trajectory remains uncertain."

The first expected scenario, according to Al-Ziyadi, is that Iraq will experience a massive Siberian air mass between February 20 and 23, which could push temperatures to their lowest levels in years, potentially reaching freezing levels in central and northern Iraq.

Al-Ziyadi also noted that other Iraqi cities could see daytime highs of just 12°C and nighttime lows of 0°C, similar to a cold wave that hit the country in 2011.

The second scenario suggests a less intense drop, with temperatures declining by about seven degrees, resulting in a more typical cold spell.