BAGHDAD — Iraq’s state-run Meteorological Department said on Saturday that it had registered the hottest day so far this year, with maximum temperatures hitting 129.02 degrees in the southern city of Basra.

Friday’s merciless heat in Basra forced the majority of the residents to almost abandon the streets or to swim in the river. Increasing the residents’ suffering were chronic electricity outages, caused mainly by the soaring temperatures and the decline in electricity imported from Iran.

Saturday temperatures are expected to hover around 120.2 degrees in Basra and continue to decline in the coming days, weather forecaster Nagham Mohammed said. Mohammed added that temperatures in Baghdad are expected to reach 113 degrees.