Are we entering the start of the summer season? Looks like it according to the meteorology centre…

If you were struggling to get comfortable last night, it was most likely the change in weather that was the cause of the discomfort.

According to the National Center of  Meteorology (NCM) temperatures in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, this week will gradually increase from 33°C and could reach as high as 38°C in Abu Dhabi and 36°C in Dubai.

Across the other emirates, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah’s highest temperature this week is expected to be 37°C on Thursday and Friday.

Due to the weather change, fog and mist alerts were raised by the meteorology centre during the early morning on March 7 as it caused a deterioration in horizontal visibility. According to The National, the thick fog forced police to temporarily reduce the speed limit on a motorway due to poor visibility.

What to expect weatherwise in March?

As usual, weather predictions are usually never 100 per cent accurate. But according to past climate statistics, the average temperature in March according to the NCM is 23.4°C. This however is based on temperatures from 1991 to 2010.

The highest temperature in March ever recorded was a whopping 43.1°C back in 2018. Let’s hope we don’t see those figures so early on this year…

But, what was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UAE?

The official record for the UAE’s highest ever temp, keeping in mind these are recorded in the shade was 52.1ºC (125.78ºF) taken on July 2002. Phew…

We still have a few months before worrying about the temperatures reaching that eye-sweating level but in the meantime, we hopefully have possibly three to four weeks (if we’re lucky) of cool evenings left. According to NCM, the lowest temperature this week is 19°C in Abu Dhabi and 18°C in Dubai.

Time to put those sweaters and boots away and dig out the cotton tees.

Images: Getty Images