Dubai: If you’re one of those who feel it’s hotter this summer than last year, then you’re wrong. Probably its your mind that’s playing tricks on you because the heat and humidity are relatively the same this year compared to summer months past, forecasters said.
Many residents have been passing remarks that this year is hotter than last year or that it’s more humid in the mornings now than ever. “I don’t remember it being this hot last summer,” quipped a commuter.
A few others blame the extreme heat on global warming.
WATCH: It's raining in the UAE's eastern region
But a check with a forecaster from the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) revealed that the sizzling temperatures we’re experiencing now is to be expected in a dry and desert country like the UAE.
“It’s summer in the UAE. You know during summers that temperatures in general increase over the UAE and over all areas in general, making July hot to very hot, but in this period it is normal,” the forecaster told Gulf News.
“Global warming is another case. It won’t affect only one day, or one month, it should be forever increasing [temperatures] throughout the year, not only today or three days earlier. So global warming is a different story,” he said.
Globally, 2016 was the hottest year on record, but this wasn’t the case for the UAE.
NCMS told Gulf News in an earlier report in March that 2015 was the hottest year for the country, and the trend overall is going up based on historical data, which mirrors data globally.
NCMS, however pointed out that the slight year-on-year fluctuations in average temperatures — in the case of 2015 to 2016 — is a difference of 0.4C, and may not be “felt” by residents, except for sudden changes in weather patterns like heatwave or cold snaps.
It could be that people perceive the heat differently depending on their situation from year to year. But the truth is that summers are generally harsh in this part of the world.
Temperatures in the UAE hit the 50c mark in the last week of June and even this week. This is because of the hot air mass affecting the country.
“This temperature is normal and another factor is that the UAE, in the last month of June and this week of July, is under the effect of a thermal low. The UAE is affected by southerly and westerly winds which is hot to very hot because it’s coming from the desert.”
Based on 2003 to 2016 data from NCMS, the highest temperature recorded for the month of July was in Al Ruwais in 2013 at 51.2c.
June to July months are hot, but the mercury tends to further shoot up in August before gradually dropping by September.
Temperatures across the country could be in the high 40s, while some areas could peak to 50Cc. But the forecaster said this [50c] is only at “a certain time and certain place and also for a short period of time.”
Menahwile, NCMS said that the level of humidity will rise significantly until Wednesday — raising the apparent temperature across the UAE.
In its daily weather forecast, the NCMS said on Monday that residents will experience “hot to very hot weather in general”, with humidity rising up to 97 per cent in Abu Dhabi and internal areas.
The NCMS pointed out that humidity will gradually increase during the month, which will increase the feeling of heat, especially during the night. The rise in humidity will also bring about a great deal of fog late at night and into the early morning.
The temperature will reach up to 49 degrees Celsius in internal areas and 43 degrees Celsius in coastal areas, with humidity ranging from 65 to 95 per cent.
