Brace yourself, the furnace is firing up…

It shouldn’t surprise us — weather patterns tend to be fairly consistent year-on-year, but like a tourist slathered in tanning oil — the UAE’s summer manages to creep up in our collective peripherals, every single time.

This is the news that mercury has breached the 40ºC red flag point in the UAE — an arbitrary sign for some, that summer is here.

Full disclosure, the temperature of 40.01ºC was recorded at multiple stations within the Al Dhafra region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. These climatic spikes were all racked up inland desert areas, away from the typically cooler coastal climes — but there were still highs of around 36 recorded within the city of Abu Dhabi.

In addition to these spicy thermometer readings, there were also several alerts for rainfall across the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

What is the hottest temp ever recorded in the UAE ?

The official record for the UAE’s highest ever temp — and remember these are recorded in the shade, by specialist calibrated equipment, so the Insta Story screenshots of your car’s thermometer don’t count Susan — was July 2002, an eye-sweating 52.1ºC (125.78ºF).

What sort of weather can we expect for the rest of the week?

High relative humidity (max 65 to 80 per cent) means that haze, cloud, ‘feels like’ temperatures and the chance of light showers are increased.

Winds will remain light and temperatures are expected to mount as we move towards the weekend. Humidity peaks are likely to be experienced during the evening and overnight.

Images: Provided