Dubai: Summer in the UAE has always been hot. Real hot.
And now next week’s forecast predicts that temperatures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi will shoot up by four degrees, making it feel as if it's actually 64 degrees Celsius.
But don’t let the numbers scare you – experts say it's “normal” for this time of year.
The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) expects temperatures to reach between 45 and 49 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels reaching a maximum of 90 per cent in internal areas and 95 per cent along the coast.
Dr Ahmad Habib, a meteorologist at the NCMS, told Gulf News that the perceived temperature, which is also referred to as the apparent temperature, is calculated through combining the effects of air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed.
“In the next three to four days, temperatures will rise by about four degrees. Summer in the UAE is usually very hot, and the weather we have now is normal for this time of year,” said Dr Habib.
The UAE National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology expects temperatures to reach a high of 49 degrees Celsius next week.
Dr Habib explained that the rise in temperature should not be a concern for residents.
He also pointed out that the apparent temperature also depends on how tolerant a person’s body is to heat.
“You cannot expect someone from the West to tolerate heat in the same way that someone from the Middle East would. People are accustomed to their home climate. So while some might feel that the temperature is 64 degrees Celsius, it might feel like over 70 to a person who has recently moved to this region,” he said.
“In the last few days, we saw the temperature slightly fall down, but starting from Thursday, it will gradually rise,” said Dr Habib.
The average maximum temperature for July in the UAE is 49 degrees Celsius, “and depending on the area, some places can have more humidity than others”, he said.
“Humidity is associated with the highest temperature, so the coastal areas will feel a bit hotter than the internal areas.”
World record
The city to record the hottest apparent temperature was Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, when it reached 81 degrees on July 8, 2003.
