YEREVAN. – In June, an air temperature record was set in Yerevan and the Ararat Valley. The chief meteorologist of Armenia, Gagik Surenyan, said this at a press conference on Friday.

According to him, the previous respective record was set in 1998 and was from 39.2 degrees Celsius to 39.4 degrees Celsius. "The current heat in Armenia is unprecedented throughout the history of meteorological monitoring. Thus, in some parts of the capital, 41.2 degrees Celsius was registered, which is two degrees higher than the previous temperature record ever recorded by us," Surenyan stressed.

In the chief meteorologist’s words, the heatwave registered in Armenia in June has exceeded the climatic norm by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, and it was due to the penetration of hot air masses to the region from Iraq and Iran.

But, as per Surenyan, the aforesaid process had started considerably earlier; not in July, as expected, but in the first ten days of June. "As a result, the process intensified considerably in mid-June. A situation was created at us when, starting from June 15 until June 29, a temperature record was set almost every day in a number of regions of the country, including the Ararat Valley, as well as in Yerevan," Gagik Surenyan stated.