The summer season in the UAE has well and truly begun, with temperatures crossing 49°C last week. There is respite for residents in the form of intermittent rains expected to fall in the UAE in June.
The third week of June sees the country transition into what is known as ‘astronomical summer’. The season starts with the summer solstice when one of Earth’s poles is tilted closest to the sun. It marks the longest day in the UAE.
“On June 21, the country will experience the longest day of the year. Therefore, the air temperatures increase over most areas of the country. As summer begins, the mean temperatures increase approximately 2-3 degrees Celsius compared to the month of May,” Dr Ahmed Habib, a climate expert from the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), told Khaleej Times.
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End of Kanat Al Thuraya on June 7
Notably, the Arab world is currently experiencing the end of the spring season known as ‘Kanat Al Thuraya’, where temperatures typically breach the 40°C-mark. It has already gone well beyond that mark. This season is expected to last till June 7.
During this period, the air is typically dry with a decrease in humidity levels.
Meanwhile, Habib explained that the summer months officially continue in June, July, August, and September. Astronomically, September 22 is when the summer season ends.
The much-celebrated Suhail star rises in the third week of August, signalling the end of peak summer heat. Temperatures gradually decrease as the country transitions into its autumn season.
Intense summer in mid-July
Experts also stressed that the UAE, which is located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, witnesses tropical air masses dominating here.
The most intense summer period typically starts from mid-July and extends through the end of August. Alongside the high temperatures, humidity levels may soar to 90 per cent, or dust storms originating from the desert can occur.
These storms sometimes bring powerful gusts of wind, swirling clouds of hot sand across the city.
Extended summer due to global warming
But with the record rainfall in the country on April 16, climate experts also change projections for the Mena region.
They point toward a warmer and drier climate each year with increased extreme events by the end of the 21st century.
Dr Diana Francis, Senior Research Scientist and Head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) Lab at Khalifa University, earlier said: “The summer will be extended (every year) by a few days with an increase in temperature. These were the results of our study on the subject, published in the paper titled, ‘Recent and projected changes in climate patterns in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region’.”