04-07-2025
UAE summer peak is here: Temperatures to cross 50°C; dry winds expected
The season of extreme summer heat in the Arabian Peninsula, known as Jamrat Al-Qaid, is here as the region braces for scorching temperatures, extremely hot conditions, dry winds and drought.
Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, said that the season kicked off at dawn on Thursday, July 3 with the appearance of the first Gemini star on the eastern horizon.
This period is considered the second, hottest and driest phase of summer, lasting until August 10.
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What to expect?
Jamrat Al-Qaid is usually marked by intense dryness and extremely hot and dry desert winds known as "samoom winds".
Temperatures are expected to exceed 50°C during the day in some desert areas, accompanied by dry, scorching winds.
Al Jarwan clarified that during this summer phase, ground surface temperatures can reach 65°C, and mirages and dust whirlwinds may form.
He also explained that what he called heat surges continue in succession—these are intense heatwaves in which temperatures rise at least 3°C above average for a minimum of two days. These surges are also marked by extreme heat and dryness.
On May 24—well before the peak of summer— temperatures in the UAE soared to a scorching 51.6°C at 1:45pm, marking the highest reading in the country so far this year, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The extreme heat was recorded in Sweihan, Al Ain.
This extremely high temperature signalined an early start to the intense heat that typically grips the country in the summer.
