On June 29, the air temperature in the hottest point of Turkmenistan - Repetek (located in the desert 50 km southwest of Turkmenabat) reached 48.5 degrees. This is the maximum temperature this year, noted by the country's weather stations .
This is only 0.1 degrees less than the maximum temperature recorded in the last abnormally hot year in Turkmenistan.
At the same time, this temperature is not a record one for Repetek; earlier, over 50 degrees Celsius was recorded here.
However, the maximum heat for the entire time of observing the weather was recorded in the city of Turkmenabat, where on June 29 the thermometer rose to 46.4 degrees.
The previous record in Turkmenabat, 46.2 degrees, was set last year.
“The climate of Turkmenabat is milder than in the surrounding desert areas, thanks to the Amu Darya, along which there is a wide oasis strip. Due to this, such heat for the second largest city of Turkmenistan was rare until recently,” Meteozhurnal notes.
According to Turkmen news , the hot weather leads to frequent power outages.
The outdated infrastructure does not withstand the active use of air conditioners on hot days, the report said. In the Farab and Dyanevsky etraps of the Lebap velayat, the lights are turned off every day for five to six hours. In Dashoguz, the duration of daily blackouts is two to five hours. In the Mary velayat, electricity is often turned off in the Murgab and Oguzkhan etraps.
Interruptions in power supply lead to the fact that electric pumps stop working and residents of some villages of the Farab etrap are left without water, which they have to carry from neighboring settlements.
Also , Azatlyk Radio reports about problems with electricity supply in the country due to the heat .
“In different districts of the Lebap velayat, including the city of Turkmenabat, electric transformers burn out one after another. Technicians complain about the lack of spare parts and for hours, and sometimes for days, they cannot fix the problem. For example, in the village of Boynuzyn, Dyanevsky etrap, there was no electricity at all on June 25-26,” a local resident told the newspaper correspondent.
Also, according to Azatlyk, due to the heat, several military units in the Lebap velayat postponed the oath-taking ceremony scheduled for June 26 to July 3.
Despite the record high temperature, on June 29, when the country celebrated the 65th anniversary of ex-president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov , employees of state and budgetary institutions of Turkmenabat, including policemen, were forced to wear festive clothes and sent to city parks to participate in festive concerts as extras, reporters report .
In case of non-attendance, people were threatened with dismissal.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan