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The summer sun. Image Credit: Thinkstock

Dubai: According to astronomers, there’s less than three weeks to go before the weather in the UAE starts to turn.

Stepping outdoors in the middle of the day is no easy task as the level of humidity spikes up to 90 per cent, accompanied with temperatures of 48C.

But good news is in store for outdoor aficionados, as the weather is expected to start changing by the end of August.

Ebrahim Al Jarwan, General Supervisor of Sharjah Planetarium, said that the appearance of the Suhail star in the constellation Vela on August 24 means that summer will be drawing to a close.  

Known as the Suhail star in Arabic or the Lambda Velorum, it is the third-brightest star in the constellation and one of the brighter stars in the sky.

By the end of the month, residents can expect to see the star rising just above the southern horizon that will continue to shine until late winter in the Arabian Peninsula.

"The high temperatures that accompany the weather fluctuations and dust are associated with the star Mirzam, which peaks from July 29 to August 11,” said Al Jarwan.

Mirzam is named after the fourth-brightest star in the constellation Canis Major.

Al Jarwan explained that the weather will continue to get hotter and more humid, right until the Suhail star appears during the second half of August, which indicates the last season of the heat.  

“The Suhail star, like all other stars, appears for a while before disappearing for the rest of the year," he said.

On August 24 of every year, the star appears in the sky until it reaches its highest altitude of 12 degrees above the southern horizon by the end of December.

On Sunday, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said the weather over the next two days will be hot and hazy with the possibility of clouds to form eastwards by the afternoon.

Northwesterly to northweasterly winds will blow at a speed of 14-26 km/h, which may peak up to 38 km/h in internal areas, which will bring about dusty weather and hazy conditions.

The weather will reach a maximum of 46C in internal areas with humidity levels of 60-80 per cent. The coastal and mountain areas will reach a maximum of 42C and 386C respectively, with humidity levels ranging from 65 to 85 per cent and 40-60 per cent respectively.

On Saturday, the highest temperature in the UAE was recorded at 47.2C in Mezaira. The other four maximum temperatures were recorded at 46.8C in Madinat Zayed, 46.5C in Hamim, 46.2C in Owtaid and 46.2C in Al Jazeera B.G.