'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎126v] (257/862)

172 CLIMATE, VEGETATION, AND FAUNA
in the Kurdish mountains in summer. During the few years since
regular official observations have been made, the highest recorded
absolute temperature has been 125 0 F., at Shuaiba near Basra and at
Diwaniya on the Euphrates, both in August, which is normally the
hottest month throughout the country, except in the extreme north,
where July seems to be very slightly hotter than August. From the
records Shuaiba and Diwaniya generally appear to share the maximum
during the six summer months. But according to the Statistical
Abstract 1940, the temperature at Mosul reached 124 0 F. on 21 July
1937, and, as stated above, in July 1916 the temperature rose to 128°
in front of Kut. 1 On the other hand, Shuaiba has recorded ioo° in
every month except December, January, and February, that is, in
9 months against 7 months elsewhere. Shuaiba is generally quoted as
illustrating Basra, but in fact the latter is generally appreciably cooler.
Perhaps it is too early yet to state which part of Iraq holds the unen
viable reputation of being the hottest spot, and since experience has
shown that life becomes a burden when the mercury rises above
120°, the actual summit reached is an academic matter; the great
practical problem everywhere is how to keep cool in summer. No
one lives in a Stevenson screen where the official air temperatures
are taken.
A few deductions may be drawn from the records. North of the
lower delta, stations have the advantage over Basra by enjoying
cooler nights, a feature most marked in the Mosul area and in the
western desert; also the Shamal is drier because it has passed over no
expanse of marsh, and therefore has a greater cooling effect on the
human body. Thus the daily mean at Shuaiba exceeds 90° in each
of 4 months (June to September), at Hinaidi (Baghdad) in each of
3 months, at Diwaniya and Mosul in only 2 months, and at Rutba no
month has a higher mean than 87° (August). The western desert
being at an elevation of 2,000 feet rarely records day temperatures as
high as those in the delta lands, and the nights are also cooler;
south-west of Basra, where the desert is lower, day temperatures are
as high as in the delta, if not higher.
January is the coldest month of the year, but the nights of
December, January, and February are generally cold, and frosts may
occur almost anywhere after the beginning of November. The lowest
official temperature is io° F. at Rutba, but unofficial and possibly
incorrect records give the same figure for Baghdad, and on one
occasion Mosul is said to have registered o° F., though the official
1 Recorded in an improvised Stevenson screen at Army headquarters.