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COMIC: Temps are predicted to hit 106 in Egypt this week. How do people stay cool?
NPR’s comic examines how people in Cairo cope with punishing summer heat as forecasts indicate temperatures could reach 106°F (41°C). It matters because the piece frames extreme heat as an increasingly everyday challenge in Egypt, where access to air conditioning has expanded but is not universal.
The author, Malaka Gharib, recounts speaking with her father in Cairo when temperatures were already around 39°C (102°F). Drawing on childhood summers spent there in the 1990s, she contrasts a time when air conditioning was less common with today’s hotter conditions and asks how Egyptians are managing.
In short
- Cairo faces forecast temperatures of up to 41°C.
- The comic explores everyday ways Egyptians cope with heat.
- Air conditioning is more common than in the 1990s.
Explained simply
Cairo, Egypt's capital, regularly experiences extreme summer heat, with temperatures often reaching above 40°C. This makes daily life challenging for millions of residents who must find ways to stay cool in one of the world's largest cities.
NPR's Malaka Gharib explores how people in Cairo manage in these conditions through a piece drawing on personal reflection and family conversations. She contrasts her memories of childhood summers in the 1990s with the present day, speaking with her father about how people are coping with the ongoing heat challenge.
Access to air conditioning has expanded in Egypt but remains unequal, with many residents lacking access to reliable cooling. This disparity in resources makes extreme heat an everyday concern for much of Cairo's population, raising questions about how people will adapt as conditions persist.