Istanbul: A thermometer in southeastern Turkey recorded for the first time since records have been kept a temperature of 50ºC in the country, a figure widely reported in the press, but soon after removed from the official record to be revised.
The figure was recorded yesterday in the municipality of Hassa, in the interior of the Mediterranean province of Hatay, and appeared on local panels, as seen in photographs broadcast by Turkish broadcaster NTV.
Also the official website of the Turkish meteorological service, under the Ministry of Environment, recorded this data until this morning, but then removed all entries concerning the municipality of Hassa, with a generic message “This value has not passed quality control”.
The system also does not allow consultation of the temperature currently recorded in Hassa, which is provided for all other municipalities in the country.
The previous highest heat maximum measured in Turkey is 49.1 degrees and was recorded in July 2021 in the southeastern province of Sirnak, where yesterday the thermometer exceeded 47 degrees, NTV reports.
The maximum temperatures measured yesterday listed by the government weather service were 48.5 degrees and were recorded in the provinces of Adana, neighboring Hatay, and Sanliurfa.
Hassa is a municipality bordering Syria, located at an altitude of 400 meters in a valley separated from the sea by the Amanos Mountains, with peaks above 2,000 meters.