UAE temperatures surpass 50°C for the first time this summer

You don’t need us to tell you that it’s hot outside. But if you’re wondering just how hot it’s gotten, then we’re here with a few facts and stats for you.

If you felt like this weekend was particularly scorching, you’d be right, as UAE temperatures surpassed 50°C for the first time this summer. On Sunday July 16, a seriously sweat-inducing 50.1°C was recorded at 2.45pm in Bada Dafas, in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region.

#أعلى_درجة_حرارة سجلت على الدولة هذا اليوم 50.1 درجة مئوية في بدع دعفس (منطقة الظفرة) الساعة 14:45 بالتوقيت المحلي لدولة الإمارات.
.#The_highest_temperature recorded over the country today is 50.1°C in Bada Dafas (Al Dhafra Region) at 14:45 UAE Local time. pic.twitter.com/1AeUlDgBsT

— المركز الوطني للأرصاد (@NCMUAE) July 16, 2023

This is the first time in 2023 that UAE temperatures have climbed above 50°C. It was a balmy day all round, with highs of 48°C recorded in Abu Dhabi city and Dubai temperatures topping out at 46°C in the city and 47.9°C in the desert.

If you think that’s hot, then brace yourselves as it can get hotter. The official record for the UAE’s highest ever temp was July 2002, when an eye-sweating 52.1ºC (125.78ºF) was recorded. Ouch.

Well, the National Centre of Meteorology & Seismology (NCMS) has collected data at a weather station near Dubai International Airport for 45 years, from 1977 to 2022.

And the findings? Well, almost all of the temperature indicators peak in August, meaning overall that is the hottest month in Dubai.

The mean temperature (over both daytime and night) is 33.5 degrees Celsius in June, 35.4 in July, 35.5 in August and then 33.1 degrees in September.

The max temperature at the Dubai weather station was 47.9 degrees Celsius in June, 48.5 in July, 48.8 in August and 46.1 in September.

The max mean humidity is 75.4% in June, 72.9% in July, 72.1% in August and 79% in September (which explains why September can often feel just as oppressive, heat wise, as super-hot August).

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