SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM)’s weather bulletin, this weekend is expected to see partly cloudy skies and temperature increases as the summer season gets underway in earnest.
Thursday, July 4, is expected to witness dusty and partly cloudy skies, with moderate to fresh winds, notably over the sea. The winds have the potential to lead to blowing dust and sand, diminishing visibility in open areas.
The sea will be rough in the Arabian Gulf, and slight to moderate and occasionally rough in the Oman Sea.
As the weekend arrives on Friday, July 5, fair to partly cloudy skies are in the forecast, along with light to moderate Southwesterly to Northwesterly winds which are expected to freshen during the daytime, leading to rough sea conditions.
On Saturday, July 6, fair to partly cloudy weather is expected to continue, along with increased temperatures, light to moderate Southwesterly winds, and slight sea conditions in both the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea.
Sunday, July 7, will see the continuation of fair to partly cloudy skies, a modest temperature increase, light to moderate Southwesterly winds with occasional gusts, and slight sea conditions in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea.
The marine forecast anticipates moderate wave heights in the Arabian Gulf on Wednesday and Thursday, with wave heights gradually decreasing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
From Thursday onwards, there will be a slight reduction in wind speeds, continuing into Friday, with fluctuations in wind direction. On the eastern shoreline, wave heights and wind speeds are expected to be constant.
In terms of the July climate overview, this month is projected to see elevated temperatures driven by thermal lows that are particularly influenced by the Indian monsoon’s low-pressure system.
In the eastern mountains and southern regions, cloudy skies may lead to afternoon showers, which may extend to interior regions.
Also in July, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) extends, bringing convective rain clouds, with the highest rainfall on record being 234.9mm at Fujairah Port in 2022.
The country experiences major impacts from land and sea breeze circulations and southeasterly and northernly winds.
July typically sees an increase in relative humidity during the early morning hours, which can lead to the formation of mist or fog.
Last July, the highest frequency of fog recorded was for 11 days, along with 5 misty days.
Typically, air temperatures vary from an average of 34.6 to 37.2°C, with maximums ranging from 39.7 to 43.8°C and minimums from 29.1 to 31.4°C.
The highest temperature on record was 51.8°C in Mezaira (2017), while the lowest was 16.9°C on Jebel Jais (2022).