Shamal to cool temperature

The UAE's sizzling temperatures may have sent the mercury soaring recently but a shamal will bring it down a couple of degrees.

An umbrella shelters a man from the sun at the beach on the Corniche,in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE's sizzling temperatures may have sent the mercury soaring a little earlier than usual but a shamal next week will bring them down a couple of degrees. Earlier this week temperatures in Al Ain hit 48C, the highest on record for this time of year, while Abu Dhabi and Dubai sweltered in the mid-40s. According to Dubai Meteorological Office, a north-westerly shamal gusting in from Kuwait and Qatar will cool thermometers by Sunday. But the break will only be a brief respite before June sets temperatures soaring once more to up towards 50C. A spokesman from the Met Office said today: "It will still be hot and sunny on Saturday but the shamal coming in from Kuwait and Qatar will cool the temperature to about 40C. "It will then be about 38C until next Friday. The hot weather is down to the change in the season and high pressure cells building up overhead with very little wind to cool things down. "It is not hugely unusual for this time of year but it has certainly been at the high end of the scale." The shamal could bring windy, hazy conditions, according to forecasters. As it migrates to the north of the country by the end of next week, the heat will return. The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology in Abu Dhabi recorded 48C in Al Ain on Thursday while Abu Dhabi hit 46.3C and Dubai hovered at 44C. Sharjah was also sweltering at 46C while Fujairah enjoyed the coolest temperatures at 42C. A spokesman at the centre said: "This week has seen exceptionally hot weather but a moderate wind will bring refreshing breezes by the end of tomorrow." [e-mail]