The United Arab Emirates (UAE) registered a sizzling 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, the highest on record for May, following weeks of sweltering temperatures in the desert nation acutely vulnerable to climate change.
Worshippers at Friday prayers reported feeling faint and some residents appeared unsteady on their feet, even in a country that is accustomed to extreme temperatures.
The highest temperature was recorded in an area of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich Gulf state that lies in one of the world’s hottest regions.
The high temperature of 50.4°C (122.7 Fahrenheit) is the hottest in May since records began in 2003, outstripping the 50.2°C seen in 2009, the National Center of Meteorology told AFP.
The UAE, one of the world’s biggest oil exporters and host of the COP28 climate talks in 2023, has just emerged from a record-breaking April with an average daily high of 42.6 degrees Celsius.
The NMC on Friday urged residents to stay safe, advising them to keep out of the sun, drink plenty of fluids, wear appropriate attire and use sunscreen.
Friday’s temperatures were accompanied by high humidity of up to 80% in some parts of Abu Dhabi.
