UAE records highest May temperature at 51.6°C

UAE Endures Record May Heat as Sweihan Hits 51.6°C, Nearing Historic High

The United Arab Emirates saw record-breaking May heat for the second day in a row on Saturday, with Sweihan (Al Ain) recording an extraordinarily high temperature of 51.6°C. This reading, confirmed by the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), is just 0.4°C short of the UAE’s all-time highest temperature of 52°C, logged in 2010 on Al Yasat Island in Abu Dhabi.

Sweihan, located around 97 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi, witnessed the scorching temperature at 1:45 PM local time, following a similarly intense 50.4°C recorded the previous day in the capital. Both figures have now surpassed the previous May record of 50.2°C, which had stood since 2009.

While Saturday saw mid-40s temperatures in Dubai, the extreme heat put strain on car air conditioning systems, with many residents expressing surprise that such intense conditions had arrived so early in the year. With many carrying umbrellas for shade and a noticeable increase in demand at juice bars and water vendors, city life went on despite the intense heat.

Only a few weeks have passed since the UAE’s hottest April on record, during which the average daily high temperature hit 42.6°C. The United Arab Emirates, which hosted the 2023 COP28 climate summit, is located in one of the world’s warmest and most climate-sensitive regions, making it especially vulnerable to the consequences of global warming.

Scientists have consistently linked such recurring, intense heatwaves to climate change, noting that these events are becoming more frequent, prolonged, and severe. Globally, the number of extremely hot days has almost doubled in the past 30 years.

The consequences are particularly dire for Arab outdoor workers. According to a 2024 International Labour Organization (ILO) report, 83.6% of outdoor workers in the region experience severe heat stress and often work in dangerous conditions without proper protection.

More than 1,300 pilgrims died during the Hajj pilgrimage in neighboring Saudi Arabia in June last year, a brutal example of the human toll of rising temperatures. Most of these pilgrims were unauthorized travelers who spent long periods of time outdoors in oppressive heat.

The Middle East is warming almost twice as fast as the rest of the world, putting the region at risk of food insecurity, water shortages and regular extreme heat events, according to a 2022 Greenpeace study. Unless precautionary measures are taken, climate change could severely impact basic living needs in the UAE and the five countries examined in the report.