KUWAIT CITY, (AFP) - The desert state of Kuwait has been hit by a heat wave with temperatures in the shade soaring to more than 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). On Friday, a temperature of 50.7 degrees Celsius (123.3 Fahrenheit) was recorded at Kuwait Airport, marking the hottest day of the year.

The heat wave was caused by a depression centered over southern Kuwait that was blowing hot northwesterly winds from the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. The heat wave followed several days of high humidity and temperatures that kept Kuwaitis indoors. Summer temperatures often come close to 50 degrees Celsius in Kuwait, with labourers struck by heat exhaustion, and roads melting.

Winter temperatures in the emirate average 18 degrees Celsius (64 Fahrenheit) and annual rainfall varies between 22 and 300 millimetres (from less than an inch to 12 inches).