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The summer sun. Image Credit: Thinkstock

Dubai: The longest day of the year is around the corner, and with it, the official start of summer.

The summer solstice in the UAE falls on Thursday June 21 at 2.07pm, which is when the sun’s rays fall perpendicularly on the earth’s Tropic of Cancer at 23°30’ North latitude.

The UAE is located close to the tropic, and will have 13 hours and 42 minutes of sun, which is three hours and nine minutes longer than in the winter solstice.


Ebrahim Al Jarwan, Deputy Director of Sharjah Planetarium, said that the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year “before the days begin to gradually shorten”.

He explained that for the remaining month of June, northwesterly and westerly winds will hit various areas of the Arabian Peninsula, with dust blowing over exposed areas.

The temperature in July and mid-August is also predicted to reach above 48 degrees Celsius during the day, and over 40 degrees Celsius at night. 

According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), the weather until Thursday will be humid and foggy, especially in the early morning over the western areas.

Hot weather will continue with maximum temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 27 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels ranging from 60 to 90 per cent in coastal areas.

The UAE will also experience southeasterly to northeasterly winds with a speed of 15-30 km/hr, which may reach up to 35 km/hr at times.

The sea will be slight to moderate in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea.