Kuwait sizzles as temperatures to reach 50°C on Wednesday

Kuwait will witness the hottest day of the year on Wednesday as the temperature is expected to touch 50°C in the shade. Kuwait Metrological Office confirmed that the country will be very hot with a high of 50°C and a low of 31°C. Temperatures are not expected to drop anytime soon.

This year’s heat wave has even compelled parliamentarian Faisal Al Kandari to submit a bill stating that the working hours in governmental authorities during summer should be from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm starting from June 1 to Aug 31 every year.

Government offices currently open from around 7:30 am to around 2:00 pm for almost all departments throughout the year, except in Ramadan, when working hours are reduced. Kandari said in his proposal that during the summer months, temperatures rise to over 50°C, posing a threat to people’s lives and can be a huge pressure on services – especially electricity – sometimes resulting in major fires.

Soaring temperatures have also caused an increase in power consumption, as the load register hit 13,500 megawatts on Friday. Informed sources said it is expected that power consumption is likely to cross the 13,800-megawatt limit in the next three days.