The UAE experienced its hottest May on record with peak daily temperatures averaging more than 40ºC, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has said.
It comes after a month when the Emirates broke May daily temperature highs for two consecutive days and follows the hottest April since records began in the early 2000s.
The mercury rose to 51.6ºC in the Sweihan area close to Al Ain in Abu Dhabi emirate on May 24. It followed the previous day's record of 50.4°C, also in Abu Dhabi emirate, and beat the existing May record of 50.2ºC in 2009 at Um Azimul in the Al Ain region and Fujairah airport.
It was, however, short of the record of 52ºC from 2010 in Al Yasat.
Read more: What is causing UAE's record high temperatures?
An NCM forecaster said the average maximum temperature across the country for May was 40.4ºC – compared with overall maximum averages from 2003 to 2024 of 39.2ºC. The average temperature for May was 33.2ºC – compared with the historical average of 32.2ºC.
The unseasonal heatwave has been caused partly by winds from the south-west bringing heat from the desert. But scientists have repeatedly said climate change is also set to bring longer and hotter summers in addition to more extreme weather events.
Global temperatures surge
“We are experiencing a shift in the seasons, especially the warm seasons.” said Dr Diana Francis, an assistant professor and head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (Engeos) lab at Khalifa University. “They are expected to become longer, meaning they will start earlier and end later than the known seasons.
“This is related to the increase in the global temperature, its average surpassing the pre-industrial level by 1.5ºC in 2024. And 2025 is on the way to be at least similar to 2024.”
Dr Francis also pointed to El Nino, a warming of the equatorial Pacific that stopped in 2024, as another factor.
It means less rain for the Middle East and a lot of heat because when it ends, she said, the way moisture is carried towards the Middle East weakens (due to a shift in subtropical jet circulation), and regional high-pressure dominance increases. Both of which result in less rainfall for the region.
“The soil is very dry and it warms up more quickly than if it was moist,” she added. “This can contribute to what we witnessed during May, for instance, here in the UAE with record-high temperatures for this time of the year.”
It also comes as global climate records continue to be broken. Last year was the world's hottest on record, scientists from the European Copernicus climate service confirmed. It broke the record set in 2023.
Many countries in the Middle East and across the globe have experienced scorching weather into this year. The temperature in Kuwait remained close to 50°C last month, while Morocco issued a heatwave alert in several areas.
Sea temperatures around parts of the UK and Ireland last month were 4ºC warmer than normal, scientists at the National Oceanography Centre and the UK's Met Office said. And over the past week China, parts of the US, Canada and other European countries has seen the mercury soar.
The high temperatures prompted the NCM last month to issue a heat warning, urging people to drink fluids, avoid direct exposure to the sun, ensure children are not left in cars and to make sure pets have plenty to drink.
This year's heat compares starkly with 2024, when the UAE in April was hit by severe floods. It stands in further contrast to 2023, when the UAE experienced its coldest April on record.
The good news for UAE residents is that June is off to a slightly cooler start, with the NCM forecasting a decrease in temperatures over the next few days.
Fresh north-westerly winds coming down from the Gulf will bring the relief but gusts of up 45kph could also kick up dust and sand. The conditions are expected to last until the weekend.
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