Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi posted the UAE’s steepest reading of the day on Wednesday, June 24, when the mercury climbed to 49.8°C — leaving the country just short of the 50-degree mark. According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), the peak was logged at 1.45pm.
Eisa Al Sereidi, Acting Head of the General Meteorology Section at the NCM, said the country has already entered the summer season and is experiencing typical weather conditions associated with it. The authority has signalled that the weeks ahead will bring sustained, severe heat, with readings occasionally breaching 50°C in parts of the country, alongside humidity and bouts of rain over the eastern and mountainous zones.
Wednesday’s high edged past the country’s previous benchmark from earlier in the week. On June 20, the hottest spot nationally was Sweihan in Al Ain, where 49.4°C was recorded at 12.45pm.
The intense heat did not keep rain away from every corner of the country. Footage circulating online showed downpours over higher-elevation areas in the east, among them Shawka and Watan Street in the Eastern Region.
On the international front, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has placed the likelihood of El Niño emerging between June and August at 80 per cent, with that figure climbing above 90 per cent by November. Fed by abnormally warm waters across the tropical Pacific, the pattern can reshape rainfall and temperature trends worldwide and heighten the odds of extreme weather.
Behind Al Dhafra, Abu Qrayn registered the second-highest figure of the day at 49.1°C, recorded mid-afternoon at 3.45pm.
