UAE temperatures top 50ºC again as summer approaches

Perennial UAE hotspot Sweihan was feeling the heat once more on Friday

A man covers his face from the sun on a hot day in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE temperatures on Friday topped 50ºC for the third time in as many weeks, with a sizzling summer season still in store.

The mercury rose to 50.1ºC in the town of Sweihan in Al Ain at 12.30pm, the National Centre of Meteorology said.

Temperatures exceeded 48ºC in several other parts of the Emirates amid an early start to the summer season, which is due to begin on June 21.

The searing conditions are nothing new for Sweihan, which once claimed the mantle of the hottest place on Earth after temperatures climbed to 51.8°C on June 6, 2021.

Sweltering Sweihan

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  A worker hydrates after a hot day. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

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  Sweihan, near Al Ain, hits 50°C for second day in a row.

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  Sweihan is well used to sizzling heat after the community one day in June last year recorded 51.8°C.

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  Wednesday was another scorching day when 'The National' visited.

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  With temperatures soaring, could you fry an egg with the help of the intense heat?

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  The blistering sunshine ensured the egg would cook, even if it was more baked than fried.

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  A worker enjoys a drink on another sweltering day.

Sweihan made history once again last month after temperatures hit 51.6ºC on May 24, making for the month's hottest day on record in the UAE.

 It followed the previous day's record of 50.4°C, also in the Abu Dhabi emirate, and beat the existing May record of 50.2ºC in 2009 at Um Azimul in the Al Ain region and Fujairah airport.

The UAE experienced its hottest May on record with peak daily temperatures averaging more than 40ºC, having already had its hottest April.

The high temperatures prompted the NCM to issue a heat warning in April, urging people to drink fluids, avoid direct exposure to the sun, ensure children are not left in cars and to make sure pets have plenty to drink.

This year's heat compares starkly with 2024, when the UAE in April was hit by severe floods. It stands in further contrast to 2023, when the UAE experienced its coldest April on record.