Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks. Electricity Consumption Soars

Tehran: A heat wave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter on Sunday.

The temperature ranged from 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 C (about 107 F) in the capital, Tehran on Saturday, according to weather reports.

State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices, and public institutions across the country would close on Sunday to protect people's health and conserve energy, due to extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded.

Authorities also cut working hours on Saturday in many provinces due to the sweltering heat, IRNA reported, adding that high temperatures, over 40 C (104 F), have been registered in Tehran since Friday.

Iranian media warned people to stay indoors until 5 pm local time.

Authorities also said electricity consumption reached record levels of 78,106 megawatts on Tuesday.

Nournews, close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, reported Wednesday that Iran's temperature is rising at twice the pace of the global temperature which has increased by more than one degree compared to the long-term average. Meanwhile, Iran has become warmer by 2 degrees over the past 50 years, the agency said.

Last year, Iran ordered a two-day nationwide holiday due to increasing temperatures.