Temperatures across the UAE are expected to rise over Ramadan as the region moves from spring into summer.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said previous years indicated temperatures would likely average between 30.5°C and 33.5°C during the holy month.
The highest ever recorded temperature during Ramadan was 50.2°C in both Um Azimul and at Fujairah Airport during 2009.
The lowest temperature registered was 9°C on Jais Mountain in Ras Al Khaimah in 2005, according to officials.
“This year Ramadan comes in the first quarter of May which means the weather will still be in a transitional period between the winter and summer,” the centre said.
“The sun continues to move north across the equator during this month, lengthening the days and gradually increasing temperatures.”
Astronomers are predicting Monday, May 6 this year as the first day of the ninth month of the Hijri calendar and the beginning of Ramadan.
However, the job of officially calling the start – as well as the end of the holy month – is down to the Moon Sighting Committee and their search for the new crescent moon. Each country has its own committee to confirm the presence of the new moon.
According to tradition, Ramadan begins the morning after the new moon is spotted.
But Ramadan is sometimes called based on calculations alone, such as when hot and hazy weather prevents stargazers from seeing the moon with the naked eye.
This can often happen in the summer months, according to astronomers, as was in the case in 2013.
on Wednesday, experts from the NCM also said humidity was expected to decrease slightly during Ramadan, especially during the second half of the month.
Average humidity will be around 38 per cent, although there could still be highs on some days of up to 82 per cent.
Meanwhile, some rain is also forecast during Ramadan, with a higher probability of wet weather in the east of the country.
The highest recorded rainfall during Ramadan was in 2017 when 41.2mm fell over Al-Heben mountain in the northern emirates.