Soaring temperatures are above average: Met Office

Dubai: It was scorching in Jebel Ali on Wednesday with the daytime temperature shooting up to 49C, the highest maximum temperature around the emirates, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office.

Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi all recorded 46C, still way above average for this time of the year, the duty forecaster said.

It was expected to reach 50C at Minhad Air Base outside Dubai, but the maximum hovered around 46C, the same as at Ras Al Khaimah airport.

Comfort index

“It is getting hotter every year,'' said the forecaster,blaming construction workand the number of highrises which capture and retain the heat.

“Even the nights are warmer because of this ‘urban heat islands effect','' he said. With humidity at less than 10 per cent, it is still very dry, but things will get worse when the monsoon rains reach Mumbai around June 10, said the duty forecaster.

“A lot of moisture will come in from the Arabian Sea around mid-June, pushing humidity levels into the uncomfortable zone,'' he said.

The comfort index is graded from “comfortable'' to “high stress''. The higher the humidity, the higher the stress level. It is at the comfortable zone at the moment as humidity is 7 per cent. The weekend will continue to be very hot and dry.

From Sunday onwards,the north-westerly cool winds will blow in from the sea, dropping the day time temperature to 37C. “The seas could become choppy,'' said the forecaster.

The winds will range between 10 to 12 knots and wave height offshore will be between one to three feet.

Over the next three days, the daytime temperature will drop by one degree.

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