April was hottest on record in UAE

People across the UAE are in for some good news, as weather experts have forecast relief from searing temperatures next week.

Temperatures are expected to cool down slightly from Tuesday, due to changes in wind movements in the Gulf.

It comes after the hottest April on record in the UAE, according to the National Centre of Meteorology.

The NCM confirmed to the The National on Saturday that the UAE had the warmest April since 2003 - when data began to be collected systematically.

The unseasonal heatwave baking the UAE has been caused by light winds from the south-west bringing heat from the desert, with the mercury surging to the upper 40s – quite the contrast to floods that swept across the country in April 2024.

The highest temperature recorded in the country on Friday was a sweltering 46.2°C, in Abu Dhabi's Sweihan.

The heatwave prompted the NCM to issue a public health warning. Experts cautioned the UAE is headed for longer and hotter summers.

Dr Diana Francis, climate scientist and head of the ENGEOS Lab at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, told The National that summer now lasts about 10 days longer.

“In the future, projections show an increase of the summer season towards six months, with fall and spring seasons shrinking in length," said Dr Francis.

April was hottest on record in UAE

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In its five-day bulletin issued on Saturday, meanwhile, the NCM said the winds would change from the south-west to north-west with Tuesday pinpointed as the day the mercury will come down.

The NCM also cautioned, however, that winds of up to 40kph by Wednesday could kick up dust clouds and cut visibility.

“[It will be] fair to partly cloudy and dusty at times with a decrease in temperatures westward,” the NCM said, in its forecast for Tuesday.

“Light to moderate south-easterly becoming north-westerly winds, freshening at times [will cause] blowing and suspended dust and sand.”

The picture was similar for Wednesday with the NCM stating conditions will be “fair to partly cloudy and dusty at times with another decrease in temperatures”.

“Moderate to fresh north-westerly winds and strong at times especially over the sea [will cause] blowing and suspended dust and sand over the land reducing the horizontal visibility.”

However, average temperatures are still set to remain high over the next couple of days. For Sunday, temperatures could reach as high as 44°C in Abu Dhabi and 42°C in Dubai, the NCM said.

On Monday, both cities could see highs of 43°C before the slight reduction in temperatures by several degrees is expected.

In its climate summary for May issued on Friday, the weather centre said during the month there was a gradual increase of air temperature over most parts of the country as summer approached.

The highest temperature on record for May was 50.2°C at two stations in the country in 2009.

By contrast the lowest was 9.0°C at Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah in 2005.