  Context: It is well known that the kinetic temperatures, Tkin, of the
molecular clouds in the Galactic center region are higher than in typical disk
clouds. However, the Tkin of the molecular complexes found at higher latitudes
towards the giant molecular loops in the central region of the Galaxy is so far
unknown. The gas of these high latitude molecular clouds (hereafter referred to
as halo clouds) is located in a region where the gas in the disk may interact
with the gas in the halo in the Galactic center region.
  Aims: To derive Tkin in the molecular clouds at high latitude and understand
the physical process responsible for the heating of the molecular gas both in
the Central Molecular Zone (the concentration of molecular gas in the inner 500
pc) and in the giant molecular loops.
  Methods: We measured the metastable inversion transitions of NH3 from (1,1)
to (6,6) toward six positions selected throughout the Galactic central disk and
halo. We used rotational diagrams and large velocity gradient modeling to
estimate the kinetic temperatures toward all the sources. We also observed
other molecules like SiO, HNCO, CS, C34S, C18O, and 13CO, to derive the
densities and to trace different physical processes (shocks, photodissociation,
dense gas) expected to dominate the heating of the molecular gas.
  Results: We derive for the first time Tkin of the high latitude clouds
interacting with the disk in the Galactic center region. We find high
rotational temperatures in all the observed positions. We derive two kinetic
temperature components (150 K and 40 K) for the positions in the Central
Molecular Zone, and only the warm kinetic temperature component for the clouds
toward the giant molecular loops. The fractional abundances derived from the
different molecules suggest that shocks provide the main heating mechanism
throughout the Galactic center, also at high latitudes
