Heavy fog reduces visibility across central, southern Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Heavy fog has swept across parts of central and southern Iraq on Monday, causing significantly reduced visibility and raising concerns for road traffic safety, authorities said.

Iraq's meteorology and seismology directorate reported that dense fog began early Monday morning, with visibility dropping below 1,000 meters in several areas.

"Due to rising humidity levels and calm winds, heavy fog has covered parts of the central and southern regions of Iraq since early Monday morning," Amer al-Jabri, spokesperson for Iraq's meteorology department, told Rudaw.

Jabri warned that the fog creates “hazardous conditions and difficulties for traffic movement on highways,” and urged drivers to strictly follow instructions issued by traffic and civil defense authorities. He added that the density of the fog is expected to decrease and visibility should improve by the afternoon.

Iraq has recently been struck by severe weather, with torrential downpours wreaking havoc across all sectors of society and causing widespread hardship for residents.

Last week, Baghdad International Airport briefly suspended operations due to similar conditions. Maysam Safi, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation, told Rudaw last Monday that flights had been delayed after the airport closed from shortly after midnight until the morning due to dense fog.

Ahmed Wahid, director of relations and media at the Iraqi Airports Directorate, said at the time that "15 flights were affected, including two bound for Erbil and Sulaimani. The delayed flights are being rescheduled in sequence." He noted that Basra and Mosul airports were not affected.

Earlier this month, airports in Baghdad, Najaf, and Sulaimani also temporarily suspended flights following severe weather and heavy rainfall that triggered flash floods across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Several provinces declared a public holiday due to the extreme conditions, which caused multiple deaths and widespread damage to homes and businesses.

Sulaimani’s Chamchamal district and Kirkuk province were among the hardest-hit areas.

In February, advisor to the Prime Minister of Iraq on water Torhan al-Mufti stated that Iraq is among the top 15 most impacted countries globally by climate change, saying that while regional countries are bearing the brunt of climate change, its impact on Iraq is "greater than in other countries."