And there’s plenty more where that came from…

You don’t need a post-grad meteorological qualification or fancy satellite equipment to conclude that this weekend, was an absolute scorcher.

The mercury topped out at 51 degrees in Al Ain, and high temperatures were recorded across the seven emirates. Completely confounding the ‘feels like’ / ‘wind chill’ figures on Apple Weather, the humidity was also making a lot of noise this weekend, with max loads of up to 90 per cent in many areas.

 

We probably shouldn’t be surprised, most of us living here had to get on a plane to do so, and it’s likely you’ll have at least Googled ‘how hot does it get in the desert?’ before you took that flight. Some of us will have even explicitly sought this sort of heat out. It can be a shock to the system though, so take this as a friendly reminder to stay hydrated champs.

The next five days

Spoiler alert — summer is here. Things look set to continue with the same hot days and humid nights. Max temps in coastal areas of around 45º, upper humidity limits could hover around the 90 per cent mark.

High humidity levels in addition to other environmental factors mean that morning fog is likely in some coastal areas, particularly between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Coastal areas should also see the benefit of intermittent breeze, a max wind speed of 40kph and with it the possibility of blown dust.

Midday sun

Last week, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) confirmed the 2.5 hour midday break for outside workers would begin on June 15.

Lasting until September 15, any company caught flouting the regulations will face a Dhs5,000 fine per individual. You can do your bit to help ensure these rules, specifically put in place to protect the health of workers — by reporting any violations on 80060.

Images: Provided