Temperatures topped 50°C for a second day in a row in scorching Sweihan on Wednesday as the town in Al Ain lived up to its billing as a major UAE hot spot.
After the mercury rose to a sizzling 51°C on Tuesday, it was a barely cooler 50.3°C on Wednesday. Those were the hottest temperatures recorded across the Emirates on those days.
Soaring temperatures are the subject of hot debate around the world, but it was just another summer's day for the many people of Sweihan.
After all, it hit 51.8°C in the town in June 2021 — the hottest temperature on Earth on that particular day.
It may have been a whole 1.5°C cooler on Wednesday, but it was still hot enough to break a thermometer when The National visited.
The device showed a base-level reading of 33°C before rapidly climbing to 43°C and then beeping and switching itself off.
It seems not all technology is built to withstand the searing desert sun.
Leaving parked cars' engines running to maintain air conditioning also caused difficulties, when workers stopped at roadside cafes to grab a bite to eat and their radiators overheated.
But the people of Sweihan were more than able to cope.
In the UAE’s sweltering desert heat, staff at cafes and repair shops went about their daily routines as normal on Wednesday, serving customers from the police station and local farms.
Turning up the heat
It has been a different story around the world as large parts of grassland have become a tinderbox across Europe this summer, with wildfires across France, Spain, Portugal and the UK — where the hottest day on record was recorded in July when it was 40.3°C at Heathrow Airport.
Three of the four hottest days recorded in the UK have occurred in the past four years, with the country now facing water shortages and a widespread hosepipe ban.
Meanwhile in the US, a heat dome hanging over the Pacific North-west has caused average temperatures of 38°C across the country this summer, from New York to Las Vegas.
It has been even hotter in Dallas, Texas, where the heat peaked at 44°C last month.
The US is also the country with the hottest recorded temperature since records began.
The aptly named "Furnace Creek" weather station in California noted a fiery 56.7°C on July 10, 1913.
It has been a year of extreme weather, with a global pattern of rising temperatures and climate change attributed by many scientists to human activity.
Heatwaves are likely to become more intense and frequent across most land regions in the next few years, the UN's global panel of climate scientists says.
Atmospheric conditions also play a part in increasingly common heatwaves, with changes to the jet stream — a fast-moving air current in the Northern Hemisphere — increasing their frequency, a study in scientific journal Nature has said.
Professor Jos Lelieveld, of The Cyprus Institute and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, studies weather patterns and climate change in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and said recent high temperatures could become commonplace.
“Our research has shown that the rate of climate change in the Middle East is twice that of the world,” he said.
“Especially summers are warming rapidly, which is related to the atmospheric circulation and the prevalent dryness. The Gulf region is affected most strongly.
“The strong warming triggers additional use of air conditioning, utilising fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gases.
“This creates a vicious circle, and the region has overtaken Europe in the emission of greenhouse gases.
“A commitment to the enhanced use of renewable energy, which is plentiful in the Middle East, will be very important.”
In the desert town of Sweihan, scorching temperatures have become a part of everyday life, particularly at this time of year.
Thankfully, some respite is in store, with the heat of recent days due to subside to a balmy 45°C on Thursday and Friday, the National Centre for Meteorology forecasts, with cooling rain on Sunday.
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THREE
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
MO
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The five pillars of Islam
Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Remaining fixtures
Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday
Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
