The hot and humid summer weather will continue to affect the eastern basin of the Mediterranean until Thursday, theMeteorological Department at Rafik Hariri International Airport announced in its evening forecast. Tuesday will be partly cloudy with high humidity, which could cause fog and reduce visibility at higher altitudes. Temperatures will range between 25 and 33 degrees along the coast, 28 and 34 in the mountains, 22 and 29 in the Cedars, and 25 and 41 in the Bekaa Valley. Skies will remain partly cloudy Wednesday, and the humidity will stay high as well in coastal areas. The department noted that the humidity makes the hot weather feel even hotter. Wednesday temperatures will range between 24 and 32 degrees on the coast, 27 and 33 in the mountains, 21 and 27 in the Cedars, and 24 and 40 in the Bekaa Valley. “These hot air masses are coming from the Gulf, and the airway bringing them is turning above the Bekaa Valley and the mountains,” a source at the department told The Daily Star, explaining why the inland temperatures are exceeding those of the low-lying coast. The source said the cooler weather expected Thursday is due to a different air mass moving in from Cyprus. Electricite du Liban announced Monday that maintenance work on the Zahrani power plant’s damaged gas unit would take a couple more days to complete. The statement cited the current heat wave, the influx of Syrian refugees, electricity theft and Lebanon’s “limited production capacity,” as factors in the ongoing power rationing. Lebanon’s high temperatures led to the death of tens of thousands of chickens raised on farms in the south Lebanon districts of Marjayoun and Hasbaya. Farmers sprayed chickens with water in an attempt to keep them cool, but few survived. The loss is a significant hit to the poultry sector. The Daily Star
