The director of the Remote Sensing Center at the Egyptian Meteorological Authority Eman Shaker told the “ETC” TV channel in a Sunday interview that the heat wave striking the country will continue until the middle of next week.
The heatwave saw temperatures of 39C in Cairo, and 44C in southern Egypt on Sunday, she added.
This is the longest period of continuous heatwaves, she said, with July and August being the most prone to prolonged heatwaves.
Shaker attributed the rise in temperatures to the influence of the seasonal India depression, which affects the atmosphere in Egypt with winds, causing a significant rise in temperatures.
Egypt was also hit by a heat dome, she said, which is an atmospheric elevation of the upper layers of the atmosphere. This causes temperatures to be obscured in layers close to the earth’s surface and retains high humidity levels, and thus leads to a significant rise in temperature and humidity.
Temperatures range in Cairo from 36C to 37C, the northern coasts range from 32C to 33C, and in the southern parts of the country from 44C to 45C, but the humidity will be low, she explained.
She added that countries of southern and eastern Europe and the Middle East region this year are being impacted by the “El Nino” phenomenon, which started in June, and leads to a rise in ocean temperatures.
Therefore temperatures and moisture to be trapped in the atmosphere, and thus increases the temperatures on land.
Shaker added that a report by the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that last week saw the highest record temperature in history.
