Hot & Dusty

Growing up in southern California, I am accustomed to hot, dry summers and smog (these were the days before catalytic converters on automobiles). Although we had some hot days here in Baghdad before I went on leave, those don’t compare to the consistent 109F heat we are experiencing now. And it’s not even summer yet. I’ve heard the horror stories of the 130F heat of the high summer here. Interestingly, I was told by someone who has been year two years (!) -- a linguist contractor -- that there is not much difference between 110F and 130F; both are equally uncomfortable. And, with the daily, inexorable increase of temperature, people here adjust accordingly. If you’ve ever heard the term, “boiling frog,” you’ll know what I mean. Since my return from leave, the daily high as hovered consistently around 109F with one or two days hitting as high as 111F.

But there is no escaping the dust. In addition to the heat, we are beset by nearly daily periods of heavy dust in the air accompanied by a strong, hot wind. When outside, the result is a new twist on the familiar Hair Dryer phenomena: a Hair Dryer blowing very fine sand particles into your eyes. There is no respite, even indoors: the long hallways of the Embassy have a fine cloud of dust hanging in the air that is more visceral and visible. You can see it if you look far down the hall but it’s not immediately visible around you.

The dust, we are told, is a result of Baghdad’s dry and colder than average winter. With not enough rain to irrigate farm land, the summer winds regularly lift fine Iraqi sand into the air where it stays for hours on end. There is sometimes relief from it in the evening when the winds eventually die down. Back in April, such days were looked on with dread as insurgents used the low visibility to launch rocket attacks on the International Zone. However, in a testament to the steadily improving security situation, we have not experienced any rocket attacks since my return.