Currently in the Twin Cities — August 4, 2023: A weekend soaking

The weather, currently.

The latest drought monitor shows drought stubbornly hanging on in Minnesota. Some areas improved but it was countered by other areas that got worse. In the Twin Cities metro, Anoka county is no longer in extreme drought. Severe drought and extreme drought expanded however in north central Minnesota.

We’re still on track for a hopeful weekend soaking. An upper level low is digging into the heat ridge and will produce showers and thunder Saturday night into Sunday night. A wide swath of 1 to 3 inches of rain is looking possible across portions of central and southern Minnesota. Next week will see cooler temperatures.

— Sven Sundgaard

What you need to know, currently.

Government officials in Iran suddenly declared a nationwide holiday due to ‘unprecedented heat’ this week, an alarming development in this record-breaking warm year.

Shops, government offices, banks, and schools have been closed across Iran since Wednesday, and reports say the nationwide shutdown could be extended further. One report calls it the first-ever nationwide shutdown due to heat in world history. On Tuesday, the heat index at Persian Gulf International Airport in southern Iran reached 149°F (65.0°C).

A new daily record in electricity consumption during last month’s heatwave in Iran have prompted some inside Iran to speculate that the shutdown is more likely due to a shortage of hydropower generating capacity, perhaps due to government mismanagement of water resources.

Power outages were frequent during last year’s nationwide protests, but this year — despite higher temperatures — electricity has been more reliable, meaning that government water managers may have drawn down reservoirs beyond critical levels in an attempt to prevent public outrage under the new president Ebrahim Raisi.

Power consumption has also hit record highs in recent weeks in Egypt, and power outages are occurring in Iraq and Lebanon.

—Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

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