A sticky situation: UAE hit by soaring humidity

Residents wake up to fogged-up windows with humidity rates reaching 90 per cent

Intense humidity causes condensation on the window of a mosque. Deepthi Unnikrishnan / The National

Parts of the UAE have been hit by humidity rates of up to 90 per cent.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said coastal areas and the islands were most affected.

There was a slight respite for residents as despite the fact high summer is here, temperatures were expected to reach highs of 41°C on Friday amid a low pressure system that is drifting across the country.

The mercury climbed above 50°C in parts of the UAE in June.

The conditions, meanwhile, are expected to continue well into next week. Parts of the UAE's east coast can expect more rain during the weekend.

"[It will be] fair to partly cloudy and hazy at times ... with a chance of some convective cloud formation by afternoon eastward," the NCM said. "[It will be] humid by night and Saturday morning over some coastal areas with a probability of mist formation."

The major cities on the UAE's west coast have escaped major rain this year but downpours have occurred frequently in the east.

Torrential rain, thunder storms and lightning hit parts of Sharjah on Tuesday.

A video posted by the NCM showed heavy rains in Al Madam and other areas.

The footage showed vehicles struggling to navigate roads with storms creating treacherous conditions and poor visibility.

Inside Sweihan, the 'hottest town in the world' - in pictures

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  Shops in Sweihan. On Sunday, temperatures in the Al Ain town hit 51.8°C, the highest recorded by any community on Earth that day.

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  'The National' visited Sweihan when the temperature was a more clement 44°C, but not right for cooking eggs.

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  Shakeel KP, a restaurant owner in Sweihan, says this summer is the hottest he has experienced in 12 years.

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  Elhadrami Alhashmi, an Emirati camel trainer and businessman, says Sweihan is hotter than his hometown of Liwa.

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  Thursday's temperatures in Sweihan meant an attempt at frying an egg in the 44°C heat did not deliver the desired effect.

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  Residents of Sweihan say the heat is unbearable.

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  Sweihan's heat melts ice cream in minutes.

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  Residents of Sweihan say they avoid going outdoors during the daytime.

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  Haris Hassan, 50, from Kerala, is the owner of Mega Fun Electronics in Sweihan. He says daytime heat is too much for even a five-minute walk.

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  Sweihan resident Tareef Otham has cut down on his daily outdoor exercise routine to avoid the heat.

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  Abdullah OK, 21, from India, sells fruit and vegetables in Sweihan.

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  Hawa El Hadey, a travel agent who moved from Abu Dhabi city to Sweihan 13 years ago, says the heat is not too bad.

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  Syed Ali, 31, from Pakistan works as a maintenance supervisor and has been living in Sweihan for five years.

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  Muhammad Shafi, 35, from Kerala, has been in Sweihan for six months.

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  Sweihan's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have experienced.

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  Sweihan's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have experienced.