The United Arab Emirates broke the temperature record in May and reached a new high. On May 24 this year, the temperature in the Sweihan area adjacent to Al Ain in Abu Dhabi reached 51.6 degrees Celsius, which is the highest temperature recorded in May in the last 20 years. Gulf News reported.
The meteorological authority said that this is the highest temperature recorded in May since the start of modern weather observations since 2003. The previous record was in Al Shawameh in 2009, where the temperature reached 50.2 degrees Celsius.
The National Center for Meteorology (SCM) said that the average maximum temperature in the country in May this year was 40.4 degrees Celsius, which is significantly higher than the average of 39.2 degrees from 2003 to 2024. They said that the country’s weather is now 1.5 degrees warmer than normal on average, which is a direct reflection of global climate change.
Meteorologists said that such extreme heat has occurred due to various atmospheric factors, including a low pressure area coming from the south. They fear that the temperature may increase in this way in the coming days as well and may reach close to 50 degrees or more.
According to the weather department’s forecast, the temperature may regularly remain between 47 and 49 degrees Celsius after the onset of summer on June 21. However, experts have expressed concern that the trend of increasing temperatures throughout the year may take a more severe form this year.